MRRN: Volume 2
by WinterWolf29
Summary: A continuation of MRRN: Volume 1. Team MRRN continues to grow as a team and enjoy life at Beacon. However, a run in with the anti-Huntsman group who call themselves the Iron Knights may get them involved in a conflict that threatens everyone at Beacon. Will they be prepared for the conflict they may unknowingly become a part of?
1. A Huntsman and a Killer

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **VOLUME 2, CHAPTER 1: A Huntsman and a Killer**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

 **Edit: This is a continuation of RWBY: MRRN Volume 1. If you haven't read Volume 1, I'd strongly advise you do so.**

It was raining cats and dogs in the part of Sanus this village was in. Many of its occupants had either taken shelter in their homes or at the local inn, which was surprisingly quiet at this hour.

One of the inn occupants, one with a broad and well-muscled build, sat in the corner, smoking a pipe and huffing out some smoke. His attire consisted of a black shirt with a dark green overcoat with jeans and gray laced boots going up to his calf. His face was mostly covered by his hood, leaving only his light brown beard and some of his feathery, shoulder-length hair of the same color to be seen. His emblem could be seen on the gauntlet on his left arm; an eagle with an eight-pointed star behind it.

His weapon was a rather large sword, but not one so large or heavy it needed to be held with two hands. It had a green handle with an eagle head pommel and a silver cross guard with the depictions of eagle wings carved onto them. It was currently hanging from his belt on his left side, allowing him quick access to unsheathe it when needed.

"Can I get you anything, sir?" a cute Dog Faunus waitress asked him.

"Just a drink of water," he replied. "I don't have alcohol that much." The waitress was initially afraid of approaching him, but the closer she was, she didn't feel the instinct to defend herself. Instead, she was at ease around him.

"Right away," the waitress responded. The waitress walked away and approached the counter, where the owner handed her a modest glass of water. She walked back over to the hooded man and placed it on the table a few inches away from him.

"Let me know if there's anything else your need," the waitress offered. The warrior turned his head, his eyes invisible due to the shadow of his hood. A warm smile stretched across his face and he nodded.

"Thank you," he replied. The waitress nodded her head and walked off to serve the other customers, leaving the swordsman to his thoughts. Unfortunately, they were broken when a yelp was heard. The warrior turned his head to see that the Dog Faunus had been pushed to the ground by a group of humans.

"What are you doing here?" the leader growled. "Faunus don't belong here." The waitress tried to get up, but the leader sent her back to the ground by punching her square in the face.

"Oh, look at that," one of them taunted. "Faunus kneeling to humans, as it should be."

"Leave her alone!" the owner shouted. The leader pulled a gun and pointed it at him.

"You stay the hell out of this or I'll kill you!" he threatened. "We can do whatever we want!"

"Leave them alone!" The group of humans looked to see the hooded warrior up from his seat, placing his pipe on the table. Two of the humans pulled out their guns and pointed them at him.

"Who do you think you are?" one of them growled. "How dare you protect a Faunus!"

"What have the Faunus done to deserve being beaten unprovoked?" the warrior asked, his normally stoic voice building to anger.

"Those White Fang Faunus kill our people and you want to defend them?" the leader asked. "We have right to beat up and even kill this Faunus bitch." He then pointed his gun at the Dog Faunus, who was weeping in fear of her life. The warrior grabbed the leader's hand tightly until he was forced to let go of his gun.

"You will not kill her," the warrior warned. The leader laughed.

"How do you plan on stopping us?" he taunted. "There's more of us than there are of you."

"Let's take this outside and find out," the warrior insisted. The group was quiet for a little bit. Suddenly, the leader started laughing.

"I get it," he claimed. "You just want to take this outside so you can keep your dignity. Well, once we're done with you, we'll deal with the bitch."

The warrior grabbed the leader by the throat and lifted him into the air. He was still for a moment before throwing him out the door, tumbling into the mud. The hooded man then walked out the entrance and up to the leader until he was only a few feet away, the leader's men following after him.

"Kill him!" the leader shouted enraged. All of them ran towards the hooded man. Two of them unsheathed knives and slashed at him; the warrior deflected their attacks and took one out with a strong punch to the face, the other by sweeping him off his feet and kicking his face into the ground.

Another one took out her gun and fired several shots at him. He raised his left arm, activating the gauntlet on it. Instead of extending into a shield, the gauntlet merely extended its sides, representing an eagle's wings, blocking the bullets.

"All of you fight him!" the leader shouted as he pulled out a knife. "We'll teach him the rules around here!" All of them charged at him.

"Poor decision," the warrior whispered. He grabbed the arm of one of the attackers and punched him in the stomach and face with his gauntlet. Another one slashed a knife at his torso; he grabbed onto his shoulders, flipped over him and threw them into one of his comrades, making them fly into the side of the building.

"Are you a Huntsman?" one of them asked aggressively. There was no response from the hooded man.

"It doesn't matter if he's a Huntsman," the leader informed. "No one disrespects us and walks away! He picked a fight with the wrong people."

One of the remaining attackers slashed at the warrior with a knife several times, aiming at his head mostly. He dodged and deflected the attacks until he grabbed the arm holding his knife and used his gauntlet to break it, making him scream in pain.

"What are you waiting for?" the leader shouted in disbelief. "We're stronger than him."

"Says the man who ganged up on an innocent woman," the hooded man brought up.

"She's not a woman, she's an animal!" the leader shouted angrily. "Once we're done with you, we'll put-" He didn't finish his sentence before the hooded man rushed to him in a burst of speed and used his gauntlet to punch him into the air; he then leapt up, grabbed him by his leg and threw him into the ground.

The leader groaned in pain from the impact, barely managing to get up. He looked back to see the warrior just looking at him, but his eyes were still invisible under the shadow of his hood.

"Who are you?" he demanded to know. "You have no idea who you just messed with."

"I just messed with a bunch of thugs who think they can do whatever they want because no one had the strength to stand up to them," the warrior spoke. "I beat you all with just my gauntlet…and martial arts is not even my specialty."

"You ARE a Huntsman!" the leader gasped, his former arrogance twisting into cowardice. Without a second thought, he ran off, abandoning his comrades to lie in the mud and rain.

The warrior walked back into the inn, where the Faunus had her hand on where she was punched. He slowly approached her and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"Let me see it," he insisted. The Dog Faunus looked at him with traces of fear in her eyes. She wasn't sure of how to react, even though he had just gotten through beating up the thugs who had hurt her.

"Why did you defend me?" she asked. "Are you a Faunus?"

"No," the warrior replied. "I simply hate the idea of prejudice against people because they're different. Please, let me see it." The Dog Faunus slowly moved her hand away where a large bruise had been left.

The warrior moved his own hand onto the bruise. Suddenly, a quiet shimmering noise was heard; the warrior's green Aura flowed from him to his hand to the bruise. In the matter of a few moments, the Aura stopped shimmering and the hooded man removed his hand from the Faunus. To her amazement, the bruise was gone.

"Are you a Huntsman?" she asked. The man simply smiled warmly; normally, this would unease her, but she felt comfortable around him.

"I am," he replied.

"What brings you here?" the owner asked, gesturing for the warrior to sit at the counter.

"I had been trailing someone for two weeks, someone I need to find," the warrior answered. "Unfortunately, I lost their trail a while back. I've been trying to find it for a while now, but no luck. They're covering their tracks far too well."

"Are they a friend of yours?" the owner asked. "By the way, if you want anything, it's on the house."

"I appreciate it, but that won't be necessary," the warrior replied. "No, this person is not a friend, but I need to find them. Her life is in terrible danger."

"Danger?" the owner asked. "From who?"

"That I cannot say," the warrior replied. "It's better for you not to know."

"What about you?" the Faunus asked. "Can we at least know your name?"

"No," he replied stoically. "I'm simply a Huntsman who comes and goes and protects those who cannot protect themselves."

"That's good enough for me," the owner replied with content. "Well, are you hungry? I can have something made for you."

"If you have any chicken, then I'll have that," he requested. He prepared to take out his Lien, but the owner held up his hand, stopping him.

"Please," he insisted. "Consider this a way of saying 'thank you' for defending her." The hooded man hesitantly consented to the owner's wish and put his Lien away.

The doors burst open and the leader had returned with more of his henchmen. Unlike before, they were properly armed with swords, clubs and a few firearms.

"Get on your feet!" he demanded. "No one humiliates me and gets away with it!"

"Why can't you just leave us alone?" the owner pleaded. "We've done nothing wrong!"

"You let this animal live with you and work here!" the leader shouted angrily. "Faunus don't belong here, they belong in cages and in the Dust Mines!"

"That's enough!" the warrior shouted. He got up from his seat and faced the leader and his henchmen, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"You can either leave or I'll give you a worse beating than last time," he threatened. The leader smirked and aimed his gun at the owner.

"Don't!" the Faunus woman begged. "Leave us alone!"

"Shut up, you filth!" the leader snarled as he fired a round at her. The hooded warrior quickly unsheathed his sword and deflected the bullet with its green and silver blade.

"Kill him, then burn this place to the ground!" the leader roared. The warrior rushed to them, his blade in one hand and his activated gauntlet in the other. He disarmed two of the henchmen with one swipe of his sword, and then grabbed the blade, using the hilt to knock both to the floor with a brutal strike.

An incoming henchman was taken out by the warrior using the cross guard to trip him and then punched him with his gauntlet. Two more of them armed with swords rushed to him and swung at him; he easily disarmed them, grabbed them by their throats and slammed them into the ground.

The hooded man saw the leader approaching the owner and Faunus, prepared to shoot. Before he could even pull the trigger, the warrior rushed to him and placed his blade in front of his throat.

"Pull that trigger and you die with them," he threatened. The leader's cowardice returned as he looked at the hooded warrior with a frightened expression and dropped the pistol.

"Tell your 'friends' to leave and not come back," he demanded. The few left standing were prepared to fight, but the leader shouted "Let's get out of here!" He ran out of the inn with his tail between his legs, followed by those still conscious.

"Defended us twice in one day," the owner spoke, relief in his tone. "And you beat them like they were nothing."

"Because they were arrogant enough to believe they were the toughest warriors in this part of Sanus when really they're just a bunch of cowards," the hooded warrior replied.

"Thank you," the Faunus waitress replied.

The rest of the evening went by rather quietly, with the hooded man receiving his chicken and then heading to bed for the night. Following the next morning, he placed his Lien on the counter and walked out.

"Wait!" the Faunus called out, following him. To her shock, he was gone. She looked left and right, yet he was nowhere to be seen. She wondered where he could've gone.

As she went back into the inn, a Vacuo Golden Eagle flew off into the distance.

-0-

Nachtfel was kneeling on a cushion, attending to his blade and inspecting its sharpness. The blade was nearly four feet long with a slight curve like any katana blade, a cross guard resembling a King Taijitu, and a long hilt with a diamond shaped pommel. Near the cross guard was his emblem; a carving of his iron helmet.

"Commander!" a man wearing a helmet with red lenses, gray modern armor, an automatic on his back along with a sword and a pistol in a holster addressed as he opened the door to Nachtfel's chambers.

"What is it?" he demanded to know.

"Our guys found two Huntsmen skulking about," he informed. "They brought them back for questioning. We wanted to let you know." Nachtfel rose from his knees, nerving the fighter.

"Bring them out," Nachtfel commanded. "I want all the Iron Knights to see them."

"Yes, sir," the fighter complied as he closed the door and left. Nachtfel breathed heavily as he sheathed his sword and walked out of his chambers, looking around as soon as he got out.

He was in a hideout in Vale with many fighters organizing supplies and weapons, all wearing the same armor and helmets as the fighter who informed him of the Huntsman. All of them had the symbol of his iron helmet on the front of their armors, showing their loyalty and dedication to his cause.

Booing was heard from the right, prompting Nachtfel to look. Several of his men were bringing out the two Huntsmen that had been caught and questioned. Their Auras were obviously down as they had been brutalized and beaten for information…and entertainment. The other fighters shouted many things as they looked at the two warriors.

"To hell with the Huntsmen!" "Kill them!" "Rip them to pieces!" "You're nothing without your Auras!" "Make them suffer!"

The two Huntsmen were brought before Nachtfel, glaring at them with his red eyes through his helmet. He held up his hand and the loudness stopped, prompting everyone to silence.

"So you're the Iron Knights?" one of them questioned. "What are you doing here in Vale?"

"You're not here to ask questions," Nachtfel replied. "You're here to face justice at the hands of those you wronged."

"That we wronged?" the other Huntsman asked. "We never did anything wrong." Nachtfel looked at the first Huntsman who had spoken.

"Is that what you thought when you were beating your wife to a pulp?" he questioned. "You blame all of your problems and your child's miscarriage on your wife, so you decide to take it all out on her just so you can release your anger."

"That's not true!" the Huntsman pleaded. "I never laid a finger on my wife."

"Yes, you did!" a young female voice called out. One of the Iron Knights removed her helmet, revealing the Huntsman's wife.

"You blamed me for everything bad that happened and you beat me for it!" she cried out. "I thought you loved me!" The Huntsman was about to speak, but she raised her pistol and pointed it at him.

"You Huntsmen are all the same," Nachtfel claimed. "You all think that just because you're elite warriors, you can do whatever you want and be above the law. The world will know peace when all of you are gone."

"Are you out of your mind!?" the other Huntsman questioned. "Remnant needs the Huntsmen! Without us, the Four Kingdoms will fall to the Grimm."

"The Huntsmen weren't there in the beginning when we humans and Faunus first went to war against the Grimm," he brought up. "We didn't need you back then…" Nachtfel reached forward and grabbed the first Huntsman by his throat, lifting him off the ground.

The Huntsman gagged as he tried to break free, but Nachtfel's grip was too strong for him. His face began to turn pale and his eyes started to bleed; Nachtfel wasn't simply choking him, he was crushing his neck as painfully as possible.

"And we don't need you now," he completed his sentence as he sadistically watched the last bit of life leave the Huntsman's body. He tossed his corpse to the side, right in front of some of the Iron Knights.

"Take his body to my chambers," Nachtfel commanded. Two of the Iron Knights grabbed the dead Huntsman's arms and dragged him to Nachtfel's chamber.

"He had a family," the other Huntsman spoke in complete disbelief. "He had a family and you murdered him!"

"The lives we take are meager compared to the ones you do," Nachtfel responded, turning away. "When we take lives, we're deemed criminals, murderers…but when a Huntsman takes a life, everyone turns a blind eye to it."

"That's not true!" the Huntsman claimed. A shot was heard, landing in the Huntsman's torso. The shot had come from the pistol being held by his wife.

"It is true!" she shouted. "I went to the police to report you, but they took your side because you're a Huntsman! You deserve to die for all the pain you've caused me."

"And he will," Nachtfel assured. "Bring me four Fire Dust crystals." One of the Iron Knights went through their supplies and brought back a container holding four Fires Dust crystals as commanded. To everyone's surprise, Nachtfel handed the container over to the wife.

"Do with him as you please," he allowed. The wife took the container and stood still for a moment. When she knew what she wanted to do, she rushed over to her husband, took out of the crystals and stabbed it into his shoulder. She then put the second in his stomach, the third in his chest and the fourth in his leg. He was left crying in agony as the Fire Dust crystals burned him alive, leaving a sense of satisfaction in the wife's eyes until he died.

Nachtfel walked up to a podium, grabbing everyone's attention as he prepared to speak.

"Many of you wonder why we're here," he started. "It's simple; we are part of a plan that will ensure the deaths of all Huntsmen here in Vale and the destruction of Beacon Academy!" Everyone cheered from the news, but were silenced when Nachtfel raised his hand.

"For years, Huntsmen claimed to be our protectors, yet they cause as much damage as the Grimm and get away with it," Nachtfel continued. "By the end of Fall, every Huntsman in Vale will be dead. They will know of our wrath and we will have our revenge!" The Iron Knights cheered in response to Nachtfel's speech.

"Prepare our weapons! As soon as we're ready, we carry out our next mission." With that, the armored warrior walked off the podium and back to his quarters, where a familiar face waited for him.

"Well, they seem excited to get involved," Cinder remarked. "I saw how you handled those Huntsmen…you must really hate them."

"I do," he replied.

"So, what is your next move?" Cinder asked curiously.

"We're going to get information on every Huntsman and Huntress in Vale," Nachtfel informed. "There's only two places where they can be accessed: Beacon Academy or the Council Hall."

"I could just get the information for you," Cinder offered. "My disciples and I will be posing as Haven students for the time being, so it'll be perfect to access them."

"No, your master spoke to me earlier," Nachtfel informed. "She wishes me to handle this. She feels that if you do this, it could risk blowing your cover. You already have one objective to do while posing as Haven students."

"If that's what she wishes, then fine," Cinder complied. "How do you plan on doing it anyway?" Nachtfel proceeded to explain his plan to extract information on all Huntsmen in Vale. It wasn't the most subtle plan, but it was sure to work.

"Well, well, I was right," Cinder smirked. "Asking for your help was a good idea."

"If any Huntsmen get in the way, we'll take care of them," Nachtfel assured. "The Iron Knights are trained well, especially against Huntsmen. We know how to fight them."

"That's good to know," Cinder replied. "While you keep the Huntsmen's attention, our plans will be able to flow much smoother."

"Very well," Nachtfel responded. "If that's all you need, then I must return to my work." Cinder walked over to the door, but stopped for a moment.

"You will have what you were promised," she assured. "When this is done, every Huntsman in Remnant will be yours to hunt down at your leisure." She then walked out, leaving the armored warrior to himself. He was alone for a few minutes until the door opened and one of his Iron Knights walked in.

"Our men are ready to be briefed on the mission," he informed. "Would you like to start it now?"

"I'll be there," Nachtfel spoke, looking at the dead Huntsmen in front of him. "Bring the other body."

"Yes, sir," the Iron Knight complied. Nachtfel then knelt down to the pale corpse in front of him. Using his sword, he cut off the Huntsman's arm, allowing blood to leave the body. The armored warrior placed his hand in the blood and then smeared it on his right pauldron and gauntlet.

Just then, the other body was brought in, the Dust crystals still impaled in his body. The two Iron Knights placed it next to the body of the other Huntsman and walked out of his quarters.

Nachtfel impaled his blade into the stomach of the other corpse and allowed more blood to flow from it. Like before, he dipping his hand in it and smeared it on the front and sides of his helmet. When he was done, Nachtfel cleaned his weapon and sheathed it in its scabbard.

He walked out of his chambers and saw all his Iron Knights looking up at him as if he was a God.

"Hail the Iron Knights!" he called out.

"Hail the Iron Knights!" they shouted back.

"Death to the Huntsmen and those who support them!" Nachtfel roared.

"Death to the Huntsmen and those who support them!" the Iron Knights cheered. While they cheered, Nachtfel sadistically smiled under his helmet.

"Soon, all Huntsmen in Remnant and those they love will be dead," he whispered. "Their world will burn…and it will begin at Beacon Academy."


	2. The New Semester

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **Volume 2, Chapter 2: The New Semester**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

"I told you, Ruo, it was an accident!" Math replied defensively as he took a bite of his burger, sitting next to his Faunus teammate at lunch.

"It was an accident that there was a bottle of blue paint with an agitated Dust crystal in the bathroom stall I was using?" Ruo questioned his team leader.

"It was meant for Sun," Math replied.

"Your little prank ruined my robe," Ruo reminded.

"I already said I'd pay for the dry-cleaning," the swordsman responded.

"Hello," Pyrrha greeted. Math turned to see her and her team approaching their table. He and Pyrrha had been dating for almost a month now and was well known around their friends that they were now an official couple.

"Hey, Pyrrha," Math responded as she sat directly in front of him. "How're you doing, beautiful?"

"Doing well, thank you darling," she replied. There was a quiet chuckle coming from Nasser's mouth. Math looked over with annoyance in his eyes.

"Darling," he chuckled.

"Shut up," Math spoke. Nasser smirked and went on to eat his lunch.

"What were you two talking about?" Jaune asked out of curiosity.

"Math pulled a prank by putting a bottle of paint in the bathroom with an agitated Dust crystal, which blew up and ruined my robe," Ruo answered.

"One, it was meant for Sun," Math defended himself. "Two, I already said I'd pay for the dry cleaning."

"Why were you pulling a prank on Sun?" Pyrrha asked.

"He stole my sword and I couldn't find it," Math answered. "When I had to use my Semblance to bring it back, Sun was holding onto the handle. Apparently, he wanted to use it, so he just upped and took it without my permission."

"So you pulled a prank on Sun for stealing your sword?" Robin asked.

"Robin, it wasn't the first time he's stolen it," Math responded. "I got tired of it, tried pulling a prank on him as payback and it went wrong."

"Very wrong," Ruo stated. "However, I can understand. Sun is quite a kleptomaniac and it's getting very annoying."

"Why didn't you just leave it at their dorm?" Nasser suggested.

"Because any of his teammates could've been splashed," Math replied. "I just wanted it to happen to Sun, so when I knew he was heading to the restroom, I set it up so only he would get it, but…"

"Again, it went wrong," Ruo reminded.

"I know," Math replied.

"Well, it may not have been the best decision to do it all," Pyrrha suggested. Math sighed.

"Yeah, you're right," he admitted. "I'm just getting fed up with him taking our stuff without asking."

"Like that time he took my jacket for the school uniform because his was dirty," Robin brought up.

"Or when he stole my knives to cut up a pineapple," Nasser brought up as well. "He could've gotten one from the kitchen."

"Alright," Ruo spoke out. "It's obvious that Sun's kleptomaniac tendencies are really getting on our nerves and the attempt to get back at him-"

"Went wrong," Math finished. "I know."

"Well, have you spoken to him about it, darling?" Pyrrha suggested.

"We tried, but he won't listen," Math answered.

"He's from Vacuo," Nasser informed. "That's a place where rules don't really apply."

"Hey, guys," Yang called out as she, Blake and Weiss joined up with them and sat down. She winked at Ruo and he quickly turned his head away, managing to hide the blush on his face.

"What's going on?" Robin greeted. "Where's Ruby?"

"She said she had to go get something," Weiss answered as she sipped her coffee. "She said she had a plan for how to start off the new semester."

"Well, we could start it off with a 'Yang'?" Yang punned. Everyone groaned in annoyance to Yang's puns.

"Hey, come on, guys," Yang continued. "The Vytal Festival Tournament is coming up soon. Don't you think it's 'vytal' that we start off this year right?" Everyone groaned much louder.

"You can hear me, right?" Yang asked, considering how loud the cafeteria could be sometimes.

"Unfortunately," Math responded.

"Okay," Yang spoke. "That pun was a little…" She knocked on the table. "Wooden?"

"Yang, I will pay you 20 Lien if you stop telling puns," Math offered.

"Hmmmmm…no," she answered shamelessly. The swordsman laid his head back, groaning in agony.

"Math, darling," Pyrrha giggled. "Yang's puns aren't that bad."

"See?" Yang pointed out. "Don't you love your girlfriend enough to enjoy my puns?"

"I'd rather keep my sanity intact," Math responded, pointing to his head.

"Well, you've certainly got a 'point'," Yang punned yet again.

"Yang thinks she's funny, but she's only funny LOOKING," Nasser joked. Yang looked over at Nasser, her eyes burning red.

"What did you say?" she growled.

"Yang, calm down," Ruo insisted, getting up from his seat and placing his hands in front of Yang. Surprisingly, she breathed and her eyes returned back to her normal lilac color.

"Well, Math," Pyrrha called out to her boyfriend. "Are you available tonight? I was wondering if you'd like to go to the movies."

"Sounds good," Math answered. "Did you have one in mind?"

"I know you said you had been wanting to see 'The Last Warriors', so I thought we could go see that," Pyrrha suggested.

"I'd definitely be up for that, but are there any others that caught your attention?" he offered.

"Not really," Pyrrha answered.

"Then 'The Last Warriors' it is, then," Math smiled. He stood up, leaned over the table and landed a peck on his girlfriend's cheek, making her blush.

"Aww, that's so cute~" Yang replied. "If only there was a man who'd kiss my cheek, but alas-"

"Ruo will do it!" Robin offered. He tried reaching for his Faunus teammate, but realized he was just grabbing air. Everyone looked to see that Ruo was gone.

"Did he just run off?" Math chuckled. Their answer was proven wrong when Ruo returned to the table with six slices of meat pizza.

"The hell?" Nasser gasped. "Two or three slices, but six!?"

"My body can handle it," Ruo replied. He saw Nora trying to take a slice and smacked her hand away.

"We thought you had run off," Robin brought up.

"Right, I forgot; Ruo never runs away on pizza day at the cafeteria," Math joked, earning a cold glare from the White Tiger Faunus. Suddenly, the table shook, the reason being Ruby placing a gigantic binder in the center of the teams.

"Friends!" Ruby addressed. "Sisters! Weiss…"

"Hey!" Weiss called out.

"Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream," Ruby proclaimed.

"Was it that you had all the cookies in the world?" Math joked.

"Well…I want to have that dream, but for some reason, I can't!" Ruby whined. "Anyway, a dream-"

"Is that my binder?" Weiss questioned. "Did you steal it?" Ruby looked nervously to the side and smiled awkwardly.

"I'm not a crook," she assured. "A dream-"

"What is 'The Last Warriors'?" Ren asked. Both Math and Jaune gasped.

"You don't know what 'The Last Warriors' is?" they asked in unison. "Only the greatest TV series ever to become a movie!" Pyrrha giggled at the silliness of her boyfriend and her team leader.

"Yeah, that's great!" Ruby spoke, annoyed. "I had a dream-"

"What are you looking at, Blake?" Yang asked her teammate.

"Just going over notes from last semester," Blake answered.

"Will you let me finish!?" Ruby demanded, prompting the table to silence.

"I had a dream…a dream that one day, the four of us would come together, as a team, and have the most fun anyone has ever had…ever! We shall kick off this year with a-"

"NO!" almost everyone, except Yang and Blake, shouted as they stopped Ruby from finishing her sentence in fear of Yang saying another pun. Ruby just looked at everyone, her eyes shooting at every person before they sat back down.

"Team RWBY, since classes start up tomorrow, I've taken the time to schedule fun and amazing events for us today," Ruby informed.

"Let's not wait 'Xiao Long' to do it," Yang punned again. Nora threw an apple at her head, prompting her to throw another at the hammer user.

"Well, regardless of what we choose, I think we should spend this day as a team," Weiss suggested.

"Whatever suits-" Before Math could finish, a pie landed straight in his face, having been thrown by Yang; she had meant to throw it at Nora, but instead hit him. The swordsman pulled the pie off and glared at the blonde member of Team RWBY.

"Math, no," Yang warned.

"Math, yes," Robin insisted.

"Guys, we're in the cafeteria, can we please-?" Blake tried to stop them, but was instead hit in the face with the pie. She looked over at Math, giving him a death glare.

"FOOD FIGHT!" Nasser shouted and all hell broke loose. As food was thrown around the place, Teams RWBY, MRRN and JNPR grouped up and took up different sections of the cafeteria; JNPR taking the left, MRRN taking the center, and RWBY taking the right.

"I'm queen of the castle!" Nora chanted from atop her throne of tables.

"We're here to dethrone you, you hyperactive tyrant!" Robin shouted.

"However, in honor of my love for your teammate, I'm willing to consider an unconditional-" Math was hit in the face with a watermelon before he could finish his sentence.

"Ruo, shouldn't we offer an unconditional surrender to Team RWBY?" Robin teased his teammate.

"There will be no surrender!" Math declared as he crushed a large piece of watermelon. "There will be no truce! No prisoners! No mercy! We shall have victory or death!" All of Team MRRN cheered behind him.

"Justice will be swift!" Ruby shouted. "Justice will be painful! Justice will be delicious!" All of Team RWBY cheered behind her.

"Robin, Nasser, take care of Team RWBY!" Math ordered. "Ruo and I will take Team JNPR!"

"Let's take them!" Robin cheered as he grabbed several pieces of celery and threw them at the members of Team RWBY.

"Off with their heads!" Nora commanded as she and her teammates unleashed several watermelons on both teams.

"Get down!" Math told Ruo as he grabbed a lunch tray and they both took cover behind tables. As soon as the barrage stopped, Math grabbed a bread loaf and Ruo wrapped two long pieces of bacon around his arms. The White Tiger rushed to take on Lie Ren, but Math was ambushed by Blake while Yang went onto fight Nora.

"Here we go!" Nasser shouted as he grabbed two long pieces of sausage links and swung at Weiss and Ruby. The heiress grabbed a ketchup and squirted it at him, managing to knock him off balance and send him crashing into a set of tables. Ruby was about to slide down the tables on a lunch tray, but Nasser recovered and threw one of the sausage links and tying her feet, knocking her to the ground.

Weiss charged at Robin with a swordfish while the archer kept throwing celery at her, but she deflected all of the projectiles. He grabbed a longer piece of celery and blocked Weiss's attack, engaging her in a swordfight.

Blake, wielding two loaves, fought both Math and Pyrrha, with the MRRN member holding a lunch tray and loaf and Pyrrha with one loaf. Despite her agility and proficiency, Blake was the first of the three to be knocked out of the fight. Math swung his loaf and clashed with Pyrrha.

"I offered a surrender," Math reminded. "You should've taken it."

"I'm afraid I must refuse, my love," Pyrrha replied as she swung again and knocked him back a few feet.

"Hya!" Ruo cried out as he engaged Ren in a martial arts fight, bacon still wrapped around his arms and Ren wielding two long celery. The two traded blows with their fists until the Faunus gained the advantage after breaking one of Ren's celery sticks. Before he could deal a finishing blow, a chicken hit him in the back of the head, alerting him to Yang's incoming attack.

The blonde brawler picked the chicken back up and unleashed a barrage of attacks on the White Tiger Faunus. He dodged and deflected all of them until he managed to grab Yang's arm and then wrap his around her neck.

"Care to surrender?" he asked with a playful tone. To catch him off guard, she planted a kiss on his lips. Before he could melt into it, she broke free of his grasp and sent him flying into a pile of tables.

"Dirty trick, Yang!" he called out.

"Oh, please, you wanted that," the blonde brawler claimed. Distracted by her gloating, Yang didn't catch Nora swinging a watermelon hammer at her until it was too late, sending her flying out of the cafeteria.

"Goodwitch is going to be so pissed!" Nasser brought up as he fought Blake, both armed with sausage links.

"Goodwitch is always pissed!" Nora replied.

"Not always," Math protested as he fought against Nora. In the course of a few minutes, all of Ruby's teammates had been knocked out of the fight, along with Robin, Jaune and Ruo. Ruby knelt down and Math suspected immediately what she was going to do.

"Take cover!" he shouted. He and Nasser quickly took cover behind tables as Ruby unleashed her Semblance, knocking Team JNPR to the wall and becoming pelted by all the food caught up in the wind of her Speed.

"Whoa," Math gasped as he saw Team JNPR sliding to the floor.

"I love these guys," a voice was heard. Math and Nasser looked from behind cover to see Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias. Sun was completely clean, but Neptune had purple all over his face and shirt.

"Sun?" Nasser called out. "How are you clean and he's not?"

"I guess I got lucky," Sun said as he took out a bag of chips and started eating them.

"Are those my chips?" Nasser shouted, to which Sun nervously stopped. Angered, the knife user grabbed some food and threw it at Sun. Just then, Goodwitch burst into the cafeteria, an angry scowl on her face. She used her Semblance to stop the thrown food and then to rearrange the entire cafeteria.

"Children…please do not play with your food," she calmly spoke, trying to contain her angry disbelief.

"It was worth it," Math spoke as he helped Pyrrha onto her feet. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, darling," she assured.

"Where's Ms. Xiao Long?" Goodwitch asked.

"Oh, I sent her through the roof," Nora replied. A loud crashing noise was heard, Ruo being the first to respond. He saw Yang fall back down and he leapt forward, catching her.

" _Okay, she's a little heavier than I thought,"_ Ruo thought to himself.

"My hero," Yang replied as she hugged him. He then let her down on her feet so he could wipe the food off of his uniform.

"Great, so now both my uniform AND my robe are ruined," he groaned.

-0-

After almost spending two hours cleaning up the food from the cafeteria as punishment for their food fight, the three teams went their own ways. Pyrrha took Math to the library to study together while Ruo-Jian was going to the Beacon store to get some new clothes, leaving Robin and Nasser by themselves.

"You ready for the Vytal Tournament?" Robin asked his teammate.

"Hell yeah," Nasser replied with a somewhat arrogant smile. "Think of all the fans we could get!"

"Agreed," Robin chuckled.

"Hello," Gaspar spoke as he approached the two of them. By now, nearly everyone had become more trusting of the Dorado heir, though Nasser was still a little on edge around him.

"Hey, Gaspar," Robin greeted. "Are you going to try and enter the Tournament?"

"Unfortunately, I can't," the Dorado informed solemnly. "Because of Linen's arrest, we now only have three teammates and the rules clearly state that in order to enter, it must be a full team of four."

"That sucks," Nasser commented. "Ruo's told us you've improved ever since you came back from your suspension. That's cool to know."

"Thanks," Gaspar replied, holding the scabbard of his rapier. "What about you? Do you plan on entering?"

"Sure do," Robin answered. "We're looking forward to taking part. My beautiful Coco will be able to see all angles of me at once."

"What a nightmare," Nasser joked, making the archer glare at him.

"Well, I should get going," Gaspar said. "I need to speak with Orchid." The Dorado heir walked away in the direction of the dorms.

"Man, I really feel bad about pointing a finger at him during the whole mystery thing," Nasser admitted. "I'm a jackass."

"Sure are," Robin agreed teasingly. Nasser groaned at his teammate until he caught sight of someone from his past. His angry scowl quickly turned into one of worry and anxiety.

"Nas?" Robin asked by his nickname. The knife wielder quickly took off in the opposite direction, hiding behind the corner of the nearest building. Robin looked in the direction his teammate was before he had run off.

He saw a team of four girls sitting together at a table. The first had short violet hair with a right shoulder pauldron with a long light blue coat over a gray shirt. The second has dirty blonde hair wearing a green dress with golden scales. The third had curly black hair wearing a dress similar to that of a ballerina. The fourth had long red hair with a blue top and orange layered skirt.

He recognized them as Team NDGO, who had become quite popular despite only being first year students.

"Get over here!" Nasser called as he used his Semblance to rush over to Robin and then pull him behind the corner.

"What is going on?" Robin asked, unsure of how to react as he had never seen Nasser anxious before.

"Do you remember when I told you there was a girl I was friends with?" Nasser reminded. Robin thought for a minute and remembered him saying about a girl he liked back in Vacuo. He put two and two together and realized that the girl was a member of Team NDGO.

"Which one is it?" he asked as he and his teammate looked over the corner at the four girls. "The one with the violet hair?"

"No," Nasser answered, pointing a finger. "You see that girl with the red hair, olive green eyes and blue top?"

"Yeah," Robin replied. "Is that her?"

"Yeah," Nasser confirmed. "Her name's Octavia Ember. She and I were good friends back when I loved in Vacuo. When she starts fighting, she's very aggressive, but when she's not, she's probably as sweet as Pyrrha."

"So you like her~" Robin teased with his usual cocky smirk. Nasser glared at his teammate.

"It's not that, I…I just haven't seen her in years," he replied, but Robin wasn't buying it.

"Come on, I played this game almost all semester with Math," the archer spoke. "Are you telling me we need to do this too?"

"There's no game to be played," Nasser snarled. "I…I simply don't know how to approach her again. It's been so many years since I've seen her-"

"Last I checked, you said 'a girl you were sweet on'," Robin reminded.

"Well…I didn't mean 'like a girlfriend' or something like that," Nasser denied.

"Go say hi," the archer insisted. Nasser looked up at him with a shocked expression and nervously shook his head.

"Do it," he demanded. Again, Nasser refused.

"Okay, I'll go talk to her," Robin decided.

"Aren't you forgetting that you're dating Coco, stupid?" the knife wielder tried to dissuade.

"I said 'talk', not 'flirt'…stupid," Robin shot back. Nasser lunged and wrapped his arms around the archer, stopping him from approaching Octavia.

"Why is this such a big deal for you?" Robin grunted as he tried to break free.

"I don't want you embarrassing me in front of her," Nasser replied as a very lame excuse.

"How would I embarrass you?" the archer replied. "If anything, you'd just embarrass yourself from how you're acting."

"You're the one who kept getting slapped by girls before you went out with Coco," Nasser reminded him of his flirtatious tendencies before becoming a thing with the leader of Team CFVY.

"Knock it off!" Robin grunted. The two continued fighting, safe from the sight of others viewing them. In a minute, Nasser was thrown from the corner and into plain sight, unknowingly landed at someone's feet.

"You okay?" a female voice asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Nasser replied. As he got off the ground, he realized that he was looking into the eyes of the same girl he had tried to avoid.

"Nasser?" Octavia gasped.

"Hey…Octavia," the knife wielder replied. There was an awkward silence between them for a little bit. Nasser was about to speak, but Octavia cut him off by hugging him.

"It's so good to see you again," she said. Nasser couldn't help but wrap his arms around her, returning the embrace.

"You know him?" her blonde teammate asked.

"Yeah, Dew," Octavia replied. "This is my old friend, Nasser Achdarr." She then turned to the member of Team MRRN.

"Nasser, these are my teammates," she started to introduce. "This is Nebula Violette, our leader. Dew Gayl, our heavy hitter. Gwen Darcy, our best at ranged combat."

"Nice to meet you," Nebula greeted, shaking Nasser's hand. Gwen shook his hand as well, but Dew simply nodded her head.

"Where are your teammates?" Octavia asked.

"Well, one of them is right here," he said, pointing to his archer teammate. "This is Robin Kendrick. Our other teammates are Mathdon Kendrick, who's with his girlfriend, and Ruo-Jian Bai Hu, who's at the Academy store."

"What's up?" Robin greeted.

"Hello," Nebula replied.

"How've you been, Octavia?" Nasser asked.

"Been good," she replied. "Glad to be here for the Vytal Tournament."

"You entered the Tournament?" Nasser asked.

"Why else would we be here?" Dew asked, her tone giving away an immediate dislike for Nasser and Robin.

"Well, I'll need to catch up with you later," Octavia replied. "We just got here and we need to find out where our dorm is."

"Yeah, that sounds okay," Nasser replied.

"Alright, then," Octavia departed with her team. "Talk to you later." She walked off with her teammates while Dew gave him a scowl of disapproval.

"What's with her?" Robin asked, gesturing to Dew.

"I have no idea," Nasser responded. "It's good to see Octavia again, though."

"You do like her~" Robin teased. The knife user glared at him and his hands curled into fists.

"I'll beat you into the ground!" he shouted as he chased the archer across the school grounds. Robin laughed as he ran away from his angry teammate and couldn't wait to tell Math and Ruo.

-0-

Team NDGO had arrived at their dorm and settled in. Nebula saw Octavia looking out the window and smiled.

"So he's an old friend of yours?" she asked.

"We're still friends," Octavia replied with no doubt in her tone. "We were very close in our childhood days before he left."

"If you want some pointers on dating-" Gwen started.

"No!" Octavia denied. "We're not like that! We're just good friends."

"Hopefully, it stays like that," Dew suggested as she tended to her spear.

"Back off, Dew," Octavia replied offended. "He's not like the pretty boys you love to hate."

"Alright, knock it off," Nebula demanded before her teammates could start an argument. "If Octavia trusts this guy, then we should trust her."

"Whatever," Dew replied, not liking the idea of Octavia and Nasser together.

"So, what do we want to do?" Gwen asked. "I saw a swimming pool on our way here."

"Sounds good to me," Dew agreed.

"I'm in," Nebula replied.

"Me too," Octavia agreed as well. The four girls continued unpacking their belongings before going down to the Beacon pool. While they were, Octavia kept thinking about Nasser.

How had he changed in the time they had not seen each other? Was he still the same person she knew? She wanted to know, even if her teammate didn't approve. He was her childhood friend and she wanted to be that way with him again, maybe even more as much as she denied it to her teammates.


	3. New Faces

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **VOLUME 2, CHAPTER 3: New Faces**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

"I knew you'd enjoy it," Math told Pyrrha as they walked out of the theater.

"I had never heard of 'The Last Warriors' until now," she admitted. "Was the movie as same as the series?"

"Mostly," Math informed. "A few elements were different, but for the most part, they stayed very loyal to the original sources."

"I'm glad we could come," Pyrrha told her boyfriend as she pecked his cheek. "We still have some time before we need to reach the transports. Does anything sound good to you?" Just then, Math's stomach growled and he chuckled.

"Does dinner sound good to you?" he asked. Pyrrha's stomach then growled as well.

"I know a good Mistrali restaurant a few blocks from here," the redhead insisted. "Does that sound good?"

"Sounds awesome," Math agreed. The two started to walk away from the theater, holding hands while doing so. Not wanting to be recognized, Pyrrha had her hair down and was wearing glasses, a jacket and green blouse, a skirt reaching her mid-thighs and green shoes. Instead of looking like a world-class fighter, she looked like someone who could easily fit into the crowd.

"Has anyone ever told you look cute with those glasses?" Math asked in a playful tone.

"You'd be the first," she replied. "I often only wear these glasses for studying."

"Alright," Math replied. "So, what is this Mistrali restaurant you talked about?"

"It's called Ble Deipno," she informed. "This style of Mistrali food is different than what you'd expect. Instead of rice, noodles, and egg rolls and such, Ble Deipno has Baklava, Gyros, Halvas…" She looked at her boyfriend's face and saw that he had no idea what any of those foods were.

"I'll show you when we get there," she assured. After about a minute, Pyrrha moved her arm and wrapped it around Math's, then placing her head on his shoulder. Math smiled as he placed a gentle kiss on her head.

Ever since she had spoken with Math about her doubts about the relationship the day after Linen was caught, she felt completely at ease around him. No having to worry about being perfect. No having to be Pyrrha Nikos the champion or smart student. Around him, she could simply be Pyrrha Nikos the person.

"Are you excited about the Vytal Festival?" Math asked.

"I am," she answered. "I'm looking forward to fighting alongside my teammates in the competition." She looked up at Math and gave him a quirky smile.

"But that's not the only thing I'm looking forward to," she continued. Math thought for a second, trying to figure out what Pyrrha meant before it dinged in his head: the dance.

"I remember," Math said. "You're really looking forward to it?"

"It'll be the first time I ever go with someone," Pyrrha answered. "I'm looking forward to the dancing, enjoying the evening…and I'm happy to spend it with you."

"Same here," Math replied. In a few more minutes, they arrived at Ble Deipno, its name in blue neon letters. The glass doors and windows showed the beautiful yet comfortable white and blue interior with its menu in plain view. There were tables both inside and outside the restaurant, some of them already filled by patrons.

"Here we are," Pyrrha spoke. They walked inside and, to their luck, there was no one in line. They walked up to the register and viewed the menu; Pyrrha knew exactly what she wanted, but Math was uncertain.

"What's a Kreatopita?" Math asked.

"It's like a meat pie with any kind of meat, usually lamb, goat or pork, with rice and a tomato sauce," Pyrrha explained. "I think you'd like it."

"Then I'll have that," Math decided.

"Would you probably like dessert?" she asked.

"Let me look," Math replied. He looked over at the dessert's section, but again had no idea what any of them were.

"Loukoumades?" he said out loud.

"Think of them as Mistrali donuts with honey," Pyrrha explained again. Math nodded his head in reply.

"Are you ready to order?" the cashier asked. Math was about to answer, but he heard a humming noise and looked around to see what it was. He shrugged and faced the cashier, ready to order, gesturing for Pyrrha to go first.

"I'll take an order of Moussaka," she ordered.

"I'll take an order of Kleopetra," Math ordered, hearing Pyrrha giggle.

"He means 'Kreatopita'," she corrected. "And then we'll take an order of Loukoumades." The cashier typed in the order and offered them cups for their drinks.

"That'll be $21.59," the cashier brought up. Math reached into his pocket to take out his wallet, but to his shock, it was gone. To stop him from panicking, Pyrrha pulled out his wallet from the sack on her belt, having used her magnetism to sneak it away from him.

The Amazon then handed the cashier the Lien to pay for the order from her wallet. As soon as the payment was done, she handed Math his wallet and took the order number, reading "74". The two then walked over to the fountains to get their drinks, Math getting Sweet Tea and Pyrrha getting unsweet.

"You didn't have to do that," Math told Pyrrha as they sat in a booth.

"You've paid for a lot even before we started dating," Pyrrha replied. "I don't want you feeling like you need to pay for everything."

"It's the gentlemanly thing to do," the swordsman insisted.

"Math?" The swordsman turned his head and his eyes widened from the source of the voice; his older sister, Safirlas. She had long, curly brown hair and blue eyes, stood a few inches beneath her brother's height and had nearly the same physical build as him with broad shoulders. She was wearing a gray jacket over a blue shirt with navy jeans reaching her knees and gray shoes, contrasting from Math's leather brown jacket and green button-up shirt.

"Safirlas?" Math called as he rose from his seat and the two hugged, though his sister not as much.

"Hey, buddy," she greeted. "I didn't expect to find you here."

"Me, neither," Math replied. "How've you been?"

"Awesome," she replied. She then looked past her brother to see the cute redhead still sitting down.

"Hello," she greeted, waving her hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Safirlas apologized. "Are you here on a date?"

"Yeah," Math answered. He took Pyrrha's hand and brought her up from her seat.

"Pyrrha, this is my sister, Safirlas," Math responded. "Safirlas, this is my girlfriend, Pyrrha."

"Pyrrha?" she asked. "As in…Pyrrha Nikos?"

"Yes," the redhead confirmed, nodding her head.

"It's nice to meet you," Safirlas spoke, shaking Pyrrha's hand.

"Where's the rest of your team?" Math asked, looking around.

"Outside," she answered, pointing to a table where her three teammates, Medeia Iris, Rong Luse, and Imamu Nyekundu, at a table outside. "I told them I'd get the order in so they can hold the seats."

"I thought you were going to arrive tomorrow," Math brought up.

"I thought so too, but our ship got here earlier than we thought," Safirlas informed. "I was hoping to surprise you, but Robin told me you had gone out."

"Yep, went out with my beautiful girlfriend," Math complimented, wrapping an arm around Pyrrha.

"Well, we have room for two more at our table," the blue-themed warrior informed. "Would you two probably be up for joining us? It'd be nice to catch up."

"If it's okay with Pyrrha," Math replied, to which Pyrrha nodded her approval.

"Alright," Safirlas replied. "Let's go." Math reached over to the table, grabbing their order number and drinks, then followed his sister to her team's table. Upon walking up, her teammates immediately recognized Math and openly welcomed him.

"Hey, Mathdon," Imamu greeted as he stood up and the two hugged.

"Good to see you, Imamu," Math replied.

"Who's the cutie?" he asked, looking at Pyrrha and earning a somewhat defensive glare from Math, knowing Imamu was a bit of a ladies' man.

"I'm his girlfriend, Pyrrha," she answered.

"As in Pyrrha Nikos?" Rong asked. She shyly confirmed it with a nod.

"I hoped not to be recognized tonight on my date with Math," she replied.

"Don't worry," Medeia assured as she sipped some of her soda. "We're all friends here."

"Sorry," Imamu apologized to Math. "I didn't you two were dating."

"It's fine," Math replied. He brought up two chairs, one for him and one for Pyrrha. He let his girlfriend sit down first before pushing her chair in and sitting down himself.

"Safirlas told me you're the leader of a team now," Rong brought up.

"Leader of Team MRRN," Math informed.

"Who are your teammates?" Medeia asked.

"My cousin, Robin, who is our sharpshooter and tactician," he informed. "Next, we have Ruo-Jian Bai Hu, our martial artist and a quick fighter. Then we have Nasser Achdarr, who is a heavy hitter like me."

"What about you, Pyrrha?" Rong asked. "What's your team? Are you leader?"

"I'm part of Team JNPR," she answered. "But I am not team leader. My teammates are Jaune Arc, who is our team leader, along with Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren."  
"Arc?" Imamu asked. "I've heard of them. They're well-known for being skilled fighters, all the way back to the Great War, maybe beyond that."

"I didn't know you knew about them," Pyrrha replied.

"Well, they're not world-known, but well-known enough," Imamu explained.

"Yeah, Imamu's quite the historian…and thinks himself quite a ladies' man," Medeia teased, making everyone laugh.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Imamu replied. "Hey, at least I'm not the one who snores like a truck."

"You take that back, dickface!" Medeia warned playfully.

"Everyone, can we please remain somewhat professional?" Rong asked. "We do have Safirlas's brother with us."

"Rong, I'm 17 years old," Math informed as he leaned on the table. "My vocabulary is probably as colorful as theirs."

"Math!" Safirlas quietly called out, getting on her brother. Math sighed as he sat back, taking Pyrrha's hand in his and gently stroking it with his thumb.

"So, how long have you two been together?" his sister asked.

"Almost a month," Math informed.

"Who liked who first, who asked who first and who kissed who first?" Medeia asked excitedly.

"Me, me, and me," Math answered. "I was pretty much head over heels for Pyrrha from day one." His girlfriend blushed from the comment.

"Oooh, sounds like you really like her~" Medeia teased.

"That I do not deny," Math admitted proudly.

"When you did deny it at first, Robin loved teasing you," Pyrrha brought up, giggling from the memories of Math nervously denying his feelings. Just then, a waiter came out with four plates, handing each of them to the members of Team IRIS.

"We'll be out with your orders soon," the waiter assured Pyrrha and Mathdon before heading inside.

"What did you get?" Safirlas asked her brother.

"Kreato…kre…krepizza?" Math attempted to remember its pronunciation, but failed, making Pyrrha laugh at her boyfriend's silliness.

"Kreatopita," she corrected, giggling now. "It's a meat pie made in Mistral."

"Wow," Imamu teased at Math's failure to pronounce it correctly. The waiter came back with Kreatopeia and Moussaka, placing the dishes in front of the Amazon and swordsman.

"Looks good," Math commented as he examined it. He took a bite of it and his face immediately showed his satisfaction, making Pyrrha giggle.

"I'm glad you enjoy it," she said with a smile.

"I'm enjoying it more with you here," he replied smoothly, making his girlfriend blush.

"Aww, you're such a sweetie~" Medeia teased.

"Yeah, unlike you," Imamu teased his team leader. Medeia glared over at her teammate.

The rest of the evening passed by smoothly for them. Math would sometimes remain quiet and sometimes space out of the conversation, but at times would be brought back by his sister or girlfriend. They laughed, teased each other, mostly between Imamu and Medeia, and enjoyed their evening.

Rong looked at his scroll and informed everyone that they had to get back to the Transports as the last one would depart in half an hour. They wrapped up what they were doing and walked back to the Transport to go back to Beacon.

"Safirlas?" Math asked, catching his sister's attention. "I'm glad to have seen you again." She smiled at her brother.

"Same here," she responded. The Transport took them back to Beacon, where they departed and went back to their dorms for the night.

-0-

The next morning, everyone in Beacon was surprised by the sight of Atlesian airships at Beacon. Everyone was wondering what was going on.

"What's up with all those ships?" Math asked, looking out the window of his dorm.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Nasser replied.

From atop Beacon Tower, three faces watched with annoyance as several more ships arrived, each one belonging to Professors Ozpin, Goodwitch, and Kura.

"Ironwood certainly loves bringing his work wherever he travels," Goodwitch expressed with immense dislike in her tone.

"He didn't have to bring so many troops," Kura spoke. "I know he's just trying to be cautious, but-"

"But this isn't the way to do it," Ozpin interrupted. "Displays of power like this will give off the wrong impression." His desk beeped and a projection showed "Entry Requested".

"Come in," Ozpin invited. The elevator door opened to show none other than one of Atlas's most known leaders: James Ironwood.

"Ozpin," he greeted cheerfully. "It's so good to see you again."

"You too, General," Ozpin replied.

"Oz, there's no need for formality," James insisted. "Just call me James."

"Sure," Kura replied as he and Goodwitch walked up to him.

"Alan, Glynda, good to see you again," Ironwood spoke.

"Oh, James," Goodwitch greeted in a somewhat sarcastic manner. "I'll be outside." She walked to the elevator and went down.

"Well, she hasn't changed," James pointed out.

"She hasn't," Kura agreed. "Are you sure it was a good idea to bring hundreds of troops here to Vale?"

"Alan, Ozpin…we all know why I brought those men," James replied.

"And you didn't think it important to tell us?" Kura questioned, his tone giving off an offended impression.

"Alan, please," Ozpin brought up. "But Alan is right. This will give off the wrong impression. We are in a time of peace…and displays of power like this will make people nervous."

"Glaucus and Qrow told us about what happened," Ironwood reminded. "Those working for Salem could be here. They could be right under our noses."

"If they are here, we must handle it tactfully," Ozpin sternly informed. "Qrow told us that they were young enough to pose as students, so if we see anyone suspicious, we'll check with the other Headmasters before we make a move."

"Speaking of Headmasters, has Leo contacted you lately?" James asked.

"No, he hasn't," Ozpin informed. "He's been rather distant lately, but he won't answer my calls."

"Something has to be going on," Kura insisted. "It's not like Leo to not check in for months."

"I'll continue trying to contact him, but let's not jump to conclusions, alright?" Ozpin suggested. "Now, back to the matter at hand, James. Why didn't you inform us that you were bringing troops?"

"Because I knew you'd be against the idea," Ironwood replied. "I assure you, Ozpin, I'm just trying to be cautious."

"So am I," Ozpin replied. "That is why we will continue to train the best Huntsmen and Huntresses in Remnant."

"Oz, they're children," Ironwood stated. "You cannot expect them to fight our war."

"I don't expect them to," Ozpin replied. "If it can be avoided, then I'll do so…only if I don't have a choice."

"Hopefully, we will have that choice," Kura expressed his belief. Ironwood's scroll vibrated and he picked it up.

"Sorry, this is important," he informed. He answered it and a short comversation ensued. After two minutes, James hung up.

"What is it?" Alan asked.

"The Vale Council," Ironwood replied. "They asked me if I could send a few troops to the Vytal Committee next week."

"The Vytal Committee," Kura repeated. "Isn't that when representatives from the kingdoms join together to discuss politics or whatever at the Council Hall?"

"Yes, that's correct," Ironwood informed. "I don't think you'll be going since you're not into politics and such."

"Overall, that Committee is boring," Kura replied. "Food portions large enough to feed a mouse, nowhere to sit, and just surrounded by boring gossip."

"It's not that bad," Ozpin replied. "However, since I'm in charge of security for the Vytal Festival Tournament, my responsibilities will keep me here."

"You're not attending?" Ironwood asked. "I thought you'd be excited to go."

"I'm afraid not," the Beacon Headmaster replied. "And you?"

"My own responsibilities as Atlas Headmaster and overseeing the transportation of Atlas troops are keeping me busy too, so I won't be able to attend," the Atlas General replied. "I'm agreed with Kura; it's not that entertaining anyway. I must be on my way; more of my students will be arriving soon and I'll need to make sure they know where to go."

"Very well," Ozpin responded. "Take care."

"You as well," the Atlas Headmaster responded before going into the elevator and leaving.

"Hypocrite," Kura spoke softly, yet angrily. "He hates being locked out of the loop, but has no problem doing it to others."

"Ironwood has always done what he thought is right, but true, his trust issues can become very harmful to this group," Ozpin admitted. "Has there been any word from the VSU about Torchwick and the White Fang?"

"None," Kura answered. "Vale's already nervous with all the criminal activity going on. Bringing soldiers from Atlas isn't going to help. On top of that, we still have no idea who this woman is, the one Glaucus told us about."

"If they do pose as students, it'll be difficult to find them without raising suspicions," Ozpin brought up. "For now, we need to assume they're already here. Keep an eye for anyone who seems suspicious to you and then report them to me. We'll then check to make sure they're in the system."

"Alright then," Kura replied. He started walking towards the elevator to prepare for his next class, but stopped.

"Do you think Forest can help us?" he suggested to the Headmaster.

"Forest is a strong warrior, but he doesn't trust me," Ozpin reminded. "Besides, we won't be able to contact him. We don't know where he is other than he's out there, fighting the same war we are." Kura sighed.

"Alright," he replied before leaving.

-0-

Nachtfel's Iron Knights just got through throwing away two more bodies belonging to Huntsmen they had killed in the furnace after their commander had taken some of their blood to smear on his armor.

"Good riddance," one of the Elite Knights, the Slasher, snickered. Just then, several Iron Knights came to the hideout with several Faunus accompanying them. In a moment, many of the Knights burst into an outrage.

"What is this?" one of them shouted. "Faunus?!"

"We've come to join your cause," one of them spoke. One of them was hit in the head with a rock.

"We need soldiers, not animals!" one of the Knights shouted.

"Don't worry," another one of them said. "It's easier to train an animal than a soldier." All the noise stopped suddenly. The two racist Knights looked to see that Nachtfel was in their presence.

"Commander!" they addressed. There was no response from the armored swordsman. Instead of walking right towards them, he walked throughout the crowd of gathered Knights. They moved aside as he walked around, seemingly inspecting his soldiers. His gaze then turned to the Faunus who had recently arrived and he walked towards them. With each step he took, the Faunus felt more and more scared. He stopped just a few feet in front of them.

Silence. No one dared to speak for a few moments.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"We've come to join your cause," one of them informed.

"Why do you wish to join my brothers and sisters?" Nachtfel questioned.

"We've heard about the Iron Knights," another Faunus informed. "They're up against the true threat of Remnant: Huntsmen."

"What do they know?" one of the Knights questioned, only to be silenced by a glare from Nachtfel.

"Only that we are prejudiced against and the Huntsmen do nothing," one of the Faunus shouted. "No, worse than nothing; they take part in discriminating us as well."

"That is tragic," Nachtfel replied. "Luckily, we were brought together to put an end to their corruption. Is that you wish for?"

"Yes…if you'll let us," one of them answered.

"They're animals!" another Knight shouted. "We can't trust-" Nachtfel held up his hand, forcing the Knight to silence.

"Human, Faunus…both of us are victims of the corruption of the Huntsmen," the armored warrior started. "What are we if we encourage prejudice against the Faunus like the Huntsmen and those who support it…like the SDC?" The Knights looked at each other, pondering Nachtfel's question.

"All…Human, Faunus, Aura, no Aura…all have suffered because of the Huntsmen's greed and hypocrisy," he continued. "Anyone who's suffered at their hands deserves a chance to take their rightful vengeance. Do you know why?"

All of the Knights once looked at each other and conversed about Nachtfel's question. Unfortunately, none of them could provide an answer for their commander.

"We came together because we know of Remnant's greatest mistake: Huntsmen," Nachtfel answered. "Many in Remnant support them; thus, they support what they do, no matter how vile or monstrous they act. While they and people who help them, like that bastard, Jacques Schnee, live a life of luxury, we were left to struggle to survive. I would know, otherwise I wouldn't be here."

"What are you saying?" the Slasher asked.

"I'm saying that if we do the same things the Huntsmen do, then we're not better than them," Nachtfel answered. He then looked over at the Faunus and walked back to them.

"You know what will happen if you join us," the warrior informed. "You will be branded a terrorist, a criminal, a murderer…are you prepared for that?"

"We are," the Faunus answered. Nachtfel was silent for a moment, making the Faunus feel uneasy.

"We all deserve a chance at vengeance because we are ALL victims here," he declared. "We have all suffered because of them. It is not race that divides us, it's choice. The Huntsmen chose a corrupt life, so we chose to end it."

"Yeah!" one of the Knights cheered, prompting the same response from others.

"Hail the Iron Knights!" Nachtfel chanted.

"Hail the Iron Knights!" the Iron Knights repeated in unison. Nachtfel then looked over to the Faunus.

"Welcome to the Iron Knights," he stated. "Slasher!"

"Yes, sir?" he asked, approaching him.

"Get these Faunus outfitted," Nachtfel ordered. "See to it that they get the training they need."

"Understood," the Slasher replied. He led them away to get armored up, leaving Nachtfel by himself.

"Commander!" another one of his Elites, the Headshot, called to him. "There's been a complication in the plan."

"What is it?" he asked.

"General Ironwood plans to have some of his soldiers attend the Committee," he informed.

"On the contrary, this is an advantage," Nachtfel replied. "That is, if we can pull it off correctly."

"Commander-"

"Do not call me that," Nachtfel interrupted. "I am not above any of us. We are all victims and we are all equals here."

"We call you 'Commander' because you're our leader," the Headshot informed. "Just tell me what you need me to do and I will do it."

"Good," Nachtfel replied. "If this is going to work, then we're going to need stealth, subtlety…and a master marksman." The Headshot grinned sadistically.

"As you wish…brother," he replied.

"Come," Nachtfel ordered. "We shall discuss how it'll be carried out."


	4. Guys' Night Out

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **Volume 2, Chapter 4: Guys' Night Out**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

There was a knock at the dorm door of Team MRRN. Robin walked up and opened it, showing Octavia Ember waiting there.

"Nasser, someone's here for you~" he called in a teasing manner. Nasser growled at his cocky teammate before walking up to the open door and his eyes widened after seeing Octavia.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," she replied. "How're you doing?"

"Doing good, except when I have to deal with the dumb lover boy," Nasser said, his insult directed towards Robin.

"Come on, man, there's no need for name calling," Math responded.

"Fine, fine," Nasser replied. "So, what brings you here, Octavia?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to come down and watch a movie with me tonight," she suggested. "We haven't really done anything ever since I first came here to Beacon."

"Ah, crap," Nasser cursed. "I wish I could, but we're going on a guy's night out."

"Yep," Math confirmed. "We're going to hit a few places to grab some good food, then hit the arcade probably-"

"And no flirting from you, Robin," Ruo-Jian warned his teammate.

"Come on," Robin responded somewhat defensively. "I know how to stay loyal to a woman. I'm not dumb enough to throw away my relationship with Coco."

"Yeah, Robin's been very faithful to her," Math agreed.

"Sorry," Nasser apologized to Octavia. "Maybe another time?"

"Sounds good," the redhead replied.

"Hey, before you go, there's something I want to ask you," the knife user said, stopping Octavia from leaving.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Why does Dew seem to hate me?" he asked. "Every time we see each other, she gives me like a stink eye or something."

"Dew…doesn't really trust young men," Octavia answered. "Let's just say for now…she had a bad experience with one."

"That sucks," Nasser replied with sympathy in his voice. "Well, I'll see you later then."

"Sounds good," she replied before walking away. Nasser closed the door, where Math and Robin were grinning like the loveable doofuses they were.

"Shut up," Nasser warned as he got into more comfortable clothes for their night out. "We're bringing our weapons, right?"

"Definitely," Math answered. "Ever since Torchwick started his strings of robberies, people have been a bit on edge."

"The Atlas soldiers being here don't help," Ruo brought up. "Why would General Ironwood being hundreds of troops to Vale during the Vytal Festival?"

"Unless he plans to apprehend Torchwick himself, I'm on board," Math agreed. "But we'll worry about that another time. For tonight, we're going to have fun."

"Sounds good," Nasser spoke. The four continued getting ready for their night of fun, games and lots of junk food.

"Did you manage to find a Faunus friendly place?" Ruo asked.

"We found several," Math answered. "I found a really good Faunus friendly restaurant a few miles from the Council Hall called Burnie's. It's got a bit of everything."

"Are you sure it's Faunus friendly?" Ruo asked for confirmation. "I don't want to go down there and we have to leave just because I'm a Faunus."

"Absolutely," Math replied with total confidence. "After that, we'll hit the arcade and play to our hearts' content."

"Let's not stay up too late," Ruo replied. "We have classes in the afternoon tomorrow, so we should be back at a decent time."

"It's 6:30 now, so maybe…we aim for 10:00?" Math suggested.

"That sounds fair," Ruo agreed. "Just out of curiosity, am I the only wondering what's been going on with Blake?"

"No, you haven't," Math replied. "Ever since that night at the Docks, Blake's been moody, antisocial, and stuff…but more than usual. Back then, she was still friendly; now, she barely talks to anyone."

"Maybe she's been occupied by why the White Fang would work with Torchwick." Nasser brought up. "I mean, it goes against everything they're fighting for."

"Again, let's not worry about that tonight," Robin insisted. "Tonight's a fun night, so let's treat it like one."

"Yeah!" Math cheered. After getting dressed, the guys went to the locker room to retrieve their weapons. They then started to walk to the parking garage, with Robin in the lead since he was the one driving.

"What car do you drive?" Ruo asked as they approached the elevator.

"Blue Fusion," Robin replied. "I call her 'Beauty Blue'."

"Beauty Blue?" Nasser asked, chuckling. "You named it Beauty Blue?"

"Hey, when you own a car, you give her a name," Robin shot back. "Second, my car's not an 'it', it's a 'she'."

"Whatever," Nasser dismissed as the elevator door opened and they stepped in. Ruo's scroll went off and he pulled it out of his pocket; to his surprise, it was Yang's number.

"Answer it," Robin insisted, glaring at his scroll. Ruo pushed his face away and answered his scroll.

"Hello?" he greeted.

" _Hey, cutie,"_ Yang replied. _"How've you been?"_

"Doing good," the Faunus responded. "Is everything alright?"

" _Everything's fine,"_ Yang answered. _"Are you available tomorrow?"_

"He is!" Robin shouted, earning a gut punch from Ruo.

" _Was that Robin?"_ Yang asked.

"Yes, that was him," Ruo confirmed as his teammate groaned from the pain. "And no, I do not have any plans tomorrow. Why?"

" _Well, I was wondering if you'd like to go out tomorrow,"_ she offered. Ruo's face became as red as Pyrrha's hair, making very hard for his teammates to contain their laughs.

"What did you have in mind?" Ruo asked, hints of eagerness and nervousness in his voice.

" _I was thinking maybe grabbing a bite, maybe lunch or dinner,"_ Yang answered.

"I can do that," Ruo responded. "We'll pick a restaurant tomorrow. Is that okay?"

" _Sounds good,"_ Yang replied. _"See you tomorrow, handsome."_ With that, she hung up. This time, Ruo found himself the victim of his teammates' teasing grins.

"I thought you said you weren't interested in dating," Nasser brought up.

"It's not dating, it's just going out to lunch with a friend," Ruo denied.

"Ruo, it's Yang," Robin reminded. "You know, girl who winks at you, teases you…and kissed you that night at the Docks."

"Don't look too far into it," Ruo replied, denying his growing feelings for the blonde brawler of Team RWBY.

At this point, Ruo was debating his feelings for Yang. On the one hand, she was a very kind, caring and fun-loving yet hot-headed young woman. She was protective of those she cared, shown many times during the semester when she would often defend her teammates from bullies such as Team CRDL before their suspension. She also showed no prejudice towards Faunus, openly accepting both Blake and Ruo, which was an added bonus for him.

On the other hand, it seemed that they had very little in common, besides the fact they were both martial artists and heavy hitters. He seemed nearly opposite of who she was; he was calm, stoic, and was not the daredevil Yang was. He questioned how long a relationship with her would last considering their personalities.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the elevator dinged and he walked out with his teammates to Robin's Beauty Blue. After putting their weapons in the trunk, Robin and Math sat in the front while Nasser and Ruo sat in the back since Robin was the driver and Math was team leader.

"Let's go!" Robin cheered as he pulled out of his parking spot and drove out of the parking garage.

The city was already being lit up for the rolling night. By this time, everyone was heading home and the streets were busy. As they rolled by the Council Hall, they noticed quite a lot of cars parked and well-dressed people entering, some from Vale, others from Atlas and Mistral, given away by their clothing.

"What's going on?" Math wondered.

"I think tonight's the Vytal Committee," Ruo informed. "Representatives from Vale, Atlas and Mistral come together to discuss the tournament as well as politics and other issues."

"Oh," Math gasped. "Basically, a big boring party."

"Yep," Nasser agreed. "Screw politics." Math put his hand behind the seat and his partner high-fived him. It wasn't too long now before they reached Burnie's and entered.

The interior was red with a very casual atmosphere with tables and booths like Monty's, but was bursting with laughs and cheers from all the place. The kitchen could be seen on the left, showing the cooks working on the food and the waiters delivering them to their tables. On the right was a sign that said "Bar Area: Must Be 21 To Sit", which was much more quiet than the rest of the restaurant. Team MRRN approached the podium, where a young waiter was standing.

"Booth for four, please," Math asked.

"This way," the waiter replied, grabbing four menus and leading them into the restaurant. All of a sudden, Ruo tripped and fell on his face, followed by mocking laughter and Ruo's teammates helping him up. The laughter came from a table of four punk looking guys, one of which had his leg extended to trip the Faunus.

"What the hell?!" Nasser snarled at them. "He didn't do anything to you!"

"You shut the hell up!" one of them shot back, rising from his seat. "Who cares about how we treat that animal?"

"That 'animal' is our friend and you will back off," Math warned, stepping up beside Nasser. The punks laughed.

"Or what?" the standing one asked. "You're Huntsmen and we're civilians. You can't hurt us without ruining your reputations."

"Unless it's in self-defense," Math corrected. "So if you throw the first punch-"

"What is going on here?" a man shouted, probably belonging to the owner or manager, considering the difference in his attire.

"These guys threatened to attack us for no reason!" one of the punks claimed.

"That's not true!" Math opposed. "They tripped our friend just because he's a Faunus, so we told them to leave him alone!"

"They said 'back off or we'll kill you!'," another punk lied.

"No, I said "He's our friend and-"

"That's enough!" the owner demanded. "Just get out of here."

"Good, these guys seem like nothing but trouble," Nasser smirked.

"Not them," the owner specified. "You. I want you out of here."

"What!?" Nasser shouted in disbelief. "But they started it! Math was just trying-"

"Get out or I'm calling the police!" the owner threatened. "Get that Faunus filth out of here!" Nasser tried to speak back, but Math stopped him, as much as he wanted to help him slam the owner verbally.

"Faunus-friendly, my ass," Math growled as he and his team left, trying to ignore the smirks the punks gave them.

"What a load of crap!" Nasser shouted in anger as they entered the car. "They started it and WE get kicked out!?"

"You're telling me," Math agreed. "Just because we have a Faunus with us!"

"That's reality," Ruo explained in his usual calm tone. "Many people in Vale hate the Faunus and want to see them gone just for being them."

"Well…we don't hate Faunus," Math sternly replied. "Let's find somewhere else." Robin backed out of the parking lot and they went around Vale, looking for another place to have dinner.

"What about Monty's?" Robin suggested after checking a few places. "We all know the owner isn't racist against Faunus."

"Sounds good to me," Math agreed. "And he certainly won't kick us out just because you're a Faunus, Ruo."

"Alright," Ruo agreed as Robin made a turn and made his way to the restaurant. In about twenty minutes, they reached the family-favorite restaurant where Robin and Coco had their first date. They walked in and approached the front desk, where a young waiter greeted them.

"Table for four," Math asked. The waiter nodded his head and led them to a table next to a window that showed a view of the city.

"Well, so far, so good," Math expressed belief. "No punks who want to harass you and no crap owner to kick us out for something not our fault."

"Sounds like a good night to me," Nasser replied. They looked through the menus, taking their time to decide.

"I think I'll take the Guacamole Burger Steak Nachos Chocolate Lava Cake," Nasser decided. Everyone looked at Nasser with a very questioning look at what he just said.

"What?" Math asked with confusion in his voice. "Nasser, they don't have a Burger Nacho Lava Cake. Are you reading your menu correctly?"

"Of course I am," Nasser responded. Math looked at his own menu to find the Guacamole Burger, which was on the same line as Steak Nachos and Chocolate Lava Cake, making him sigh in annoyance.

"Nasser, one order does not go across the entire menu," he explained. "Are you having trouble reading your menu?"

"I'm not," Nasser shot back. "I'll take the BLT Guacamole Chicken Sandwich." Math looked in the sandwich section and saw that BLT was above Guacamole Chicken Sandwich.

"Nasser, the BLT and Guacamole Chicken Sandwich are separate," Math informed.

"I thought they were together," Nasser replied. "It sounded good to me."

"Nasser, you're not reading the menu correctly," Ruo pointed out as he scooted over to read his menu with him.

"Unbelievable," Math sighed. "Of all the things he cannot do, he can't read a menu?"

"You can't drive a car," Robin reminded his cousin, earning a death glare from him. A waiter came by and offered to get their drinks; Math ordered sweet tea, Robin ordered unsweet, Ruo ordered water and Nasser ordered diet soda.

"We're going to need a while before we order," Ruo told the waiter before he left to get their drinks. Math and Robin scooted over to Nasser's chair, much to his annoyance.

"I don't need help," Nasser claimed.

"You're not reading the menu correctly," Math protested. "They don't have Chowder Chicken Nachos."

"Or Smoked Ham Sandwich Strawberry Sundae," Robin brought up.

"The Salmon Steak Plate is a meal, not an appetizer," Ruo pointed out.

"Will you guys back off?" the knife user snarled, waving his hand to shoo them away. "I'll have my order ready by the time the waiter comes back."

"I doubt that," Math spoke under his breath. It was obvious that Nasser Achdarr, the resident rebel and foul mouth of the team, had trouble understanding menus and it was irking him to no end.

"How hard is it to read a menu?" he thought out loud to himself, but quietly enough to make sure no one heard him.

"We all have our weaknesses, Math," Ruo replied, having heard Math with his Tiger ears. The swordsman shook his head in annoyance…because Ruo was right; patience wasn't always his strongest virtue.

When the waiter came back, everyone, including Nasser to everyone's delight was ready to order.

"I'll take the Steak Salmon Plate with mashed potatoes and green beans," Ruo ordered.

"I'll take the Fish Dinner with fries and refried beans," Robin ordered next.

"I'll take the Royale Burger with fries and a Caesar salad," Math ordered before Nasser. There was no response from him. His eyes squinted as he looked over the menu, trying to figure out what he wanted…or how to read it anyway.

"What is the Steak Salmon Plate Banana Shake?" he asked, nearly causing the waiter to laugh.

"Oh, for-" Math gave in, his patience reaching its limit. "He'll take the Guacamole Chicken Sandwich with fries and green beans." The waiter wrote down their order and went to put it on the kitchen window.

"Seriously?" Nasser asked his team leader, still denying his problem with reading menus.

After some conversation on relationships, personal opinions on the Atlas soldiers, and teasing back and forth, their orders came to the table.

"Yay for food," Math jokingly said as he took a bite of his burger.

"Yay indeed," Ruo agreed as he took a bite of his steak.

"Ready or not world, Team MRRN is coming!" Robin cheered as he raised his drink. The other three picked up their drinks and clinked all four at once, ready to enjoy the remainder of their night out.

-0-

"Welcome to the Vytal Committee," the Atlas soldier at the second set of doors entering the building greeted the guests. The attendees were talking among themselves, discussing any topics that reached their minds.

"How is the Schnee Dust Company holding up?" a Mistral woman representative asked an SDC Officer.

"Despite our troubles with the White Fang, we continue to prosper," he answered. "Jacques Schnee has done a remarkable job of keeping the company together. It's a shame his daughter betrayed him."

"Betrayed him?" the Mistral woman asked.

"She now attends Beacon Academy instead of staying in Atlas to fulfill her duties as the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company," the SDC Officer replied. "How unfaithful can one person be?"

"Maybe she just wants to be a Huntress," the Mistral woman suggested.

"Why would she want to be a Huntress when she is the daughter of one of Atlas's richest men?" the SDC Officer asked. "If she wants to waste her time helping some lowlifes or Faunus, then I hope Mr. Schnee disinherits her." The Mistral woman became disgusted by his dismissive attitude and walked off to grab a glass of wine.

"How come Captain Kijivu couldn't make it?" an Atlesian representative asked an VSU Officer.

"Captain Kijivu is not interested in politics," the officer replied. "Besides, he has his hands full with the whole Torchwick situation, so he asked me to come in his place."

"That's a shame," the Atlas man replied. "I was hoping to meet him."

"Like I said, he's not a man of politics," the VSU Officer replied.

Outside, two homeless men constantly asked the representatives for money, but most of them gave them nothing, especially the Atlesians.

"Please, I haven't eaten in three days," one of them begged. "Just a little money."

"I'm not wasting a single Lien on an urchin like you," an Atlesian representative replied arrogantly. To add insult to injury, he spat on one of them. One of them got behind a trash can and answered his scroll.

" _All of the representatives have arrived. Disable the security system."_

"Fine," one of the homeless shouted. "We'll go somewhere else." The two homeless men picked up whatever they had in a bag and walked away around the corner…towards a window that led directly to the security systems of the Council Hall.

"Can you believe the nerve of that homeless man?" the same Atlesian representative asked one of the soldiers. "He had the gall to ask me for money. Bah! As if I'll waste a Lien on someone like him."

"Understood," the soldier replied, trying to contain the contempt in his voice.

"So I spat on him," the Atlesian man chuckled. "If you're too poor to afford anything, then good riddance. We didn't need those people anyway." He walked away, smiling arrogantly. The man serving the food heard his scroll go off, making him walk away to answer it.

"How may I help you?" the server asked.

" _The security system will be disabled soon. Go and place the explosives."_

"Have a good day, sir," the server replied. Afterwards, he walked up to an Atlesian representative and punched him square in the face.

"You arrogant bastard!" he shouted. "How dare you think yourselves superior to everyone else!" He forced the man onto the ground and started ruthlessly punching him, stopping when he was pulled off by two Atlesian soldiers.

"Arrest that man!" the Atlesian demanded. "He's insane!"

"We'll take care of him," one of the soldiers insisted. He then led him away outside in cuffs. Suddenly, when they were out of sight, the soldier freed the accused server and smiled sadistically.

"Nice acting," he complimented.

"Thank you," the server replied. As the two soldiers walked back inside, the server reached his car and opened the trunk. He saw a bag, pulled it out and opened it…showing ten explosive discs.

"Soldiers ID#22185, reporting," one of the soldiers keeping guard at the door responded after hearing his helmet communicator go off.

" _The plan will go in two minutes. All of you will be hearing this message, so there's no need to worry about someone not knowing. You must hold off whatever comes at us for twenty minutes until the download is complete. Once it's done, get out of there and use the truck in the back to escape. We'll meet up at the hideout. On a side note, if you end up having to kill someone…kill the SDC Officer first."_

"Understood, General," the soldier replied.

At the control room, the homeless men opened their bag, showing Iron Knight weaponry and hacking technology. As for the security guards in the room, they had been killed by brutal strangulation.

"The security system will be off soon," one of them informed over the scroll. "What else do you need?"

" _Keep control of the building for now. The information for the Hunstmen cannot be accessed from your position; I must do so directly as soon as the security measures are shut down. Keep me informed of anything that happens. Make sure no one gets in or out."_

"Understood," the Iron Knight replied. "Security will be going down in three…two…one…" The security systems went down.

"Make sure the silent alarm doesn't sound," the Iron Knight instructed the other. He activated a device and attached it to a panel in the controls, preventing the silent alarm from going off.

"What's going on?" one of the attendees questioned after the Atlesian soldiers pointed their guns at them.

"Move!" one of them demanded as they gestured for all the attendees to move. "Don't try anything or we will kill you!"

"What is the meaning of this?" the SDC Officer demanded to know. "I demand an explanation."

"Keep talking and I'll put a bullet in your head!" another soldier shouted. "Now take out your scrolls and place them on the floor! Do it or we will kill you!" Each of the attendees took out their scrolls and placed them on the ground, allowing one of the soldiers to pick them up.

"You didn't drop your scroll!" one of the soldiers called to the SDC Officer.

"I demand that you release me!" he shouted. The soldier didn't say anything as he pointed at the officer's head…and pulled the trigger. Everyone screamed in terror as the Officer's lifeless body dropped onto the floor, blood running from his head.

"Anyone else want to make demands?" the same soldier asked. None of them dared to speak.

"Everyone, in the kitchen, NOW!" one of the soldiers demanded, then turning his attention to three soldiers.

"You make sure the explosives are armed and keep watch!" he instructed as he forced the attendees into the kitchen.

"Brother," one of the Iron Knights disguised as an Atlesian soldier called on his scroll. "Everyone's being gathered in the kitchen as we speak."

"Good," Nachtfel replied, leaning on the edge of a building overlooking the Council Hall. "Leave the rest to me." He leapt the edge, transformed into burning ashes, and then flew into the building before returning to his normal form.

"The end of the Huntsmen…starts tonight."

 **Author's Notes: I hope you're enjoying Volume 2 of Team MRRN! Once again, if you have any constructive criticism on how to improve the story, please let me know! Enjoy!**


	5. Ashes and Blood

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **VOLUME 2, CHAPTER 5: Ashes and Blood**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

"That was a good dinner," Math spoke as he and his teammates were driving down the streets of Vale. "I'm just thankful that we didn't have any incidents."

"Agreed," Ruo replied from the backseat. "There's not that many Faunus-friendly places here, despite their claims to the contrary."

"It's probably a business technique for Faunus sympathizers," Math suggested. "Well, are we ready to go to the arcade?"

"Sounds like a plan," Robin agreed. As he drove, they started to drive up on the Council Hall where the Vytal Committee was taking place. They expected to hear beautiful music, loud gossiping and talking, and laughter, but to their shock…they heard nothing.

"It's awfully quiet in there," the archer driving the car commented.

"That's how most fancy parties are, right?" Nasser asked. Robin drove up to the curb a good distance away from the Hall; the dead silence in the building was unnerving them.

"It's too quiet in there," Math claimed. "Robin, could you-?"

"Already on it," Robin spoke as he activated his Semblance to see what was going on. To his shock, everyone was gathered in a room in the back with several guys pointing guns at them.

"What the-!?" the archer gasped. "The Atlesian soldiers have taken the attendees hostage."

"What?" Math gasped. "Are you certain it's the Atlesian soldiers and not someone else?"

"There's no signs of breaking and entering except…hold on," Robin said as he examined the building. "There's two guys up in the third floor. It looks like they're sitting in front of computers or something."

"That's probably the security room," Ruo suggested. "We should head inside, see what's going on. Is the front door safe?" The archer inspected the main entrance, where he found heat traces in several small areas, hinting at explosives.

"They've planted explosives around the front entrance," Robin informed. "How are they getting away with this? Surely, an alarm had to go off."

"Let's get into the security room and find out," Math suggested as he got off the car, followed by his teammates and opened the trunk to retrieve their weapons. Math let Robin take the lead so he could use his Semblance to find the window that led to the security room.

"That one!" Robin pointed.

"Let Ruo go in first," Math suggested. "His invisibility will be perfect for this. Give us a thumbs up when it's good to enter."

"On it," Ruo responded as he climbed up the windows, leaping and jumping as he did. Upon reaching the window leading to the control room, Ruo spotted two men in rags sitting down, keeping an eye on the cameras throughout the building. Next to them were the two security guards with severe bruising on their necks, showing that they died of strangulation. Before he'd make his move, Ruo decided to listen in for a little bit in the hopes of retrieving some information.

"How long will this take?" one of the men asked.

"The Commander hasn't reached the Records Room yet," the other one replied. "But he'll get in. When he does, we'll get all the information on the Huntsmen."

"They're hacking to get information on Huntsmen?" Ruo thought to himself. He decided to make his move and activated his invisibility.

He slowly approached the two men, waiting for them to be completely off guard. To his surprise, one of them seemed to be on edge, slowly reaching for his pistol on the desk. Ruo continued to sneak closer to them to get in a sneak attack, but the floor quietly creaked under his feet, despite his attempts to be silent.

"A Huntsman is here!" one of them shouted as he grabbed his pistol and fired two rounds. The first one missed, but the second one hit Ruo, causing his Aura to shimmer and his invisibility to deactivate. This shocked the White Tiger Faunus as he had almost never been caught while his Semblance was active.

"Use the electric cables to disable his Aura, then we'll kill him!" the pistol holder ordered. The other man reached for an assault rifle and fired electric cables at Ruo, which he managed to dodge in time. He then lunged at the man holding the assault rifle and slammed his head against the wall, knocking him unconscious. The other man fired his pistol at the White Tiger Faunus; Ruo dodged them and took him out with two slashes of Huzhao.

"Disable Aura?" Ruo wondered. "That doesn't sound like something a common street thug would say. Something's definitely up." He walked over to the window and gave a thumbs-up to his teammates, signaling that it was good to enter.

Robin used his grappling shot on his gauntlet to reach the window, performing a flawless flip upon entry into the room with a cocky smirk. Math unsheathed Claiomh Solais and placed the tip of its blade on the ground, followed by activating two of his Aura Swords that he used to propel himself upward and into the room. Nasser was the final one, who simply used his own Semblance to launch himself into the room.

"Who are these guys?" Nasser wondered.

"I don't know, but they're not simple burglars," Ruo informed. "In fact, they're trying to hack the Records to get information on all Huntsmen in Vale."

"They want information on the Huntsmen?" Math asked for clarification. "That doesn't explain why they would take hostages, but that's not important right now. We need to alert the VPD and get the hostages out of here."

"What about the Atlesian soldiers?" Nasser asked.

"We take them out," Math replied. "Don't kill them unless you have to. Once everything's done, hopefully we can get some answers about what's going on."

"Wait," Robin halted. "Look." He pointed to one of the screens showing a room appearing to be underneath the lobby. There were multiple computers, looking to hold valuable information. Out of nowhere, a pile of burning ashes appeared out of the air vent and reformed into a man wearing armor and carrying a nodachi. He walked up to the computers and placed a device in one of the consoles, emitting a bright red light. A red message with white letters appeared on the screens reading "Warning: Huntsmen Records Hacked."

"He must be the one hacking the records," Math concluded. "It looks like the download will take a long while."

"We have to stop him," Robin stated. "If that information gets into the wrong hands, no Huntsman in Vale will be safe."

"Then we act quickly," Math responded as he looked over the monitors to see where the other Atlesian soldiers were stationed so they'd know where to expect them. The leader of Team MRRN was quiet for a little bit as he tried to think up a plan to ensure the safety of the hostages and stop the Huntsmen information from being hacked.

"Since we don't know who we're up against, we're staying together for now," Math instructed. "But first, let's see if we can reactivate the silent alarm."

"On it," Robin jumped to it as he examined the electrical outlet of the room with his Semblance. He checked everywhere to see where the silent alarm could've been disabled, ultimately finding it in a panel in the controls.

"Here," Robin responded, opening the panel to find a device that looked like it shouldn't belong. Nasser grabbed the device and, using his Semblance, crushed it to small bits. A light in the room on the wall with the words 'Silent Alarm' started to flash blue.

"Alright, that takes care of that," Math stated. "Robin, where are the hostages and how many are guarding them?" The archer activated his Semblance once more to find them all gathered in a room on the ground level.

"They're on the ground level and it looks like there's six soldiers guarding them," Robin informed.

"Let's move," Math commanded. "Robin, lead the way." The archer nodded and led them out of the security room down the halls of the Council building.

"Wait," he halted at a corner. "There's a soldier around the corner."

"Ruo," Math whispered to. He didn't need an explanation; the Faunus disappeared and quietly approached the Atlesian soldier, but as before, he heard the creaks in the floor and fired at him.

"Ruo!" Math called out as he rushed over to his teammate and activated Dionach, protecting Ruo from the bullets and then charged at the soldier, knocking him unconscious.

"Come on," the swordsman insisted as they continued on their way to the hostages, his cousin leading the way.

Something disturbed them on their way to find the hostages; any soldiers they encountered seem to know exactly how to fight them, often resorting to dealing heavy damage to disable their Auras and then going in for the kill. These Atlesian soldiers, or those pretending to be, knew how to fight Huntsmen and were only losing because Team MRRN outnumbered them usually four to one or two and were taking them by surprise.

"There they are," Robin pointed out upon arriving at the kitchen where the hostages were being kept. "Two of the soldiers are outside, the other four are inside, keeping a watch on them."

"This doesn't make sense," Nasser wondered. "If they're only after the Huntsmen information, why pull all of this crap?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Math answered. "We need to take those two out silently or we risk alerting the soldiers inside."

"Leave it to me," Ruo offered as he turned invisible. The two soldiers looked around as the White Tiger approached, careful to listen to any noises made.

"Who are these guys?" Nasser wondered. "Atlesian soldiers aren't trained to fight Huntsmen, but these guys…"

"We'll worry about that later," Math insisted. "But you're right; this isnworrying me too." The two soldiers were about to raise their weapons when their heads were butted together, knocking them unconscious. Ruo immediately reappeared and grabbed them by their torso armor, gently laying them on the floor to prevent noise. Math, Robin and Nasser hurried to the door, with the swordsman in the front and ready to kick it down.

"Once we get in there, we take them out," Math instructed. "Each of us takes one. Robin, the closest to the left. Nasser, closest to the right. Ruo, the far left. I'll take the one on the far right."

"I got to say, Math," Nasser confessed. "I never took you for being a quick thinker at all."

"Because lives are on the line," Math replied. "Ready?" All of them nodded before Math viciously kicked down the door.

Robin nocked an Ice Dust arrow onto his bowstring and fired at the soldier, disabling his weapon so he could take him out with a swift jump and kick. Nasser extended his right chain and wrapped it around his target's arms, then slamming him brutally into the wall.

Ruo leapt onto the table and then onto the soldier before he could react, taking him out with two powerful open handed strikes to his face. Math used Dionach to knock his target's firearm aside and them bashed him in the face, knocking him unconscious as well.

"Is anyone hurt?" Math questioned. He could see that the hostages were bound with zip ties, so he and his teammates got to work and cut them all loose.

"What happened here?" Robin asked.

"I…I don't know," a Mistral representative replied. "One minute, we were enjoying food, music, and a good conversation…the next, Ironwood's soldiers took us hostage and killed the SDC Officer!"

"Did they say anything that would give them away?" Math asked.

"They didn't say anything other than to tell us to shut up or they'd kill us!" an Atlesian woman sobbed. "I was so scared."

"You're safe now," Math assured. "We cannot go out the front entrance. It's been rigged to explode."

"Then we'll use the back door," a Vale councilman replied. "I know another way out. Before we go, do you have any idea what's going on?"

"The security's been disabled and there's someone in the Records room," Math explained. "They're trying to hack into the Huntsmen records to obtain all information on them."

"Then that explains why the security system is down," the Councilman realized. "He couldn't have accessed the records with the security on, but how is it possible? The only way to access the Records room is with a Councilman's Keycard, security or no security."

"His Semblance allowed him to travel through the air vents and reach the room," Ruo brought up. "He's hacking the records as we speak."

"He must be stopped," the Councilman stated. "If he downloads all that information, no Huntsman or Huntress in Vale will be safe."

"Nasser and I will go and stop him," Math informed. "Ruo, Robin, you get everyone to safety. Take down any Atlesian soldiers you run into because they're obviously not Ironwood's."

"Are you sure?" Robin asked. "It'd be smarter if all of us went."

"We need to get everyone to safety and we need to stop that guy from hacking the records," Math replied. "I know I said we should stick together, but we may not have time to come back and stop him."

"Then take my Keycard," the Councilman insisted. "Enter the main elevator in the lobby and hold the card up to the panel. Say code "34" and it should take you to the Records room."

"Thanks," Math replied. "Alright, Ruo, Robin, get them out of here. Nasser, let's go."

"Let's kick some ass," Nasser grinned as the two of them hurried to the main lobby, leaving the hostages with Ruo-Jian and Robin.

"I don't know about you, but I don't like the idea of being around a Faunus," an Atlesian man spoke with contempt, only to be met with a slap on his face by the VSU Officer.

"There are armed men in this building and your main complaint is being around a Faunus?" he questioned.

"There's no time for arguing," Robin spoke. "Let's move."

"Let me lead," the Councilman asked. "I know the safest route to get out."

"Then let's go," Ruo agreed. The Councilman took the lead with Robin and Ruo-Jian following behind him and everyone following them.

"This way!" Math told Nasser as they rounded a corner, only to be met by the sight of several imposters.

"Open heavy fire!" one of them ordered. They quickly took cover and avoided the bullets, but they couldn't stay that way for long.

"That's the shortest way to the lobby," Math said. "We need to take out those soldiers quick."

"Our Auras will go down before we can reach them," Nasser pointed out. "They're putting distance between us and them."

"Wait!" Math gasped. "I have an idea." He activated Dionach and looked at his teammate.

"Grab my shoulders," Math instructed. "When I say 'now', use your Semblance to charge us forward so we can take them out."

"Sounds like a plan," Nasser agreed. He grabbed Math's shoulders and the two rushed into open fire, Dionach blocking the bullets.

"Aim for their legs before they reach us!" one of them commanded.

"Now!" Math shouted as he imbued Claiomh Solais with two of his Aura swords. Nasser used his Semblance and launched them forward, allowing Math to take them out with an immense shockwave and knocked them all unconscious.

"Nice move," Nasser complimented. "Why did you just use your Aura Swords like you did on the Ursa Major during the Initiation?"

"I need to save up my Aura when I can if we fight that guy we saw," Math answered. "Since your Semblance doesn't drain Aura, I thought it'd be a good idea."

"Well, it worked," Nasser admitted. "Now let's keep going."

-0-

Robin shot an arrow at one of the soldiers from around another corner, suffering heavy fire. Ruo activated the Ice Dust in Huzhao and threw ide shards at the imposters.

"Is there any other way?" Robin asked. "We're taking heavy fire."

"There's no other way," the Councilman sadly admitted. "They thought this through well enough."

"Then let's finish it," Robin replied as he pulled three Fire Dust arrows from his quiver and fired at the soldiers, creating an explosion that knocked some of them out. Ruo quickly pounced as the Dust was lifting, activating his invisibility.

Three soldiers were still standing from Robin's contained explosion; Ruo took out the first one with a swipe to the face. The second was taken down with a powerful kick to the leg and flip kick to his chin. The third, Ruo kicked into the air, leapt up, grabbed him by his neck and threw him into the ground.

"It's safe," Ruo called out. "Let's move." Robin and the Councilman led the hostages down the hall, with Ruo catching a stink eye from the same Atlesian attendee from before.

"We didn't need your help, animal," he snarled. Ruo groaned and continued on with them.

-0-

"Open fire!" a soldier shouted as he and five others fired on Math and Nasser. Math activated Dionach to block the bullets, then disarmed the first soldier with a swipe of his sword and hit him in the head with the pommel.

"Cables!" one of them shouted. One of them fired electric cables at Math's leg, making him fall onto the ground. Another soldier fired cables at him and attached to his arm. His brown Aura shimmered and crackled as he was electrocuted, slowly reducing it to leaving him unprotected.

"Math!" Nasser shouted. He threw his chained knife at one of the soldiers, allowing to wrap around his torso before violently throwing him into the wall while breaking Math free of the electric cables. The swordsman managed to grab the other cable and rip it away from his arm before imbuing one of his Aura Swords into Claiomh Solais and throwing a shockwave at the remaining soldier.

"There's the elevator," Math called out. The two warriors hurried over and pushed the 'Down' button; after a few impatient moments, it opened and allowed them to enter. Math held the Councilman's Keycard up to the panel, hearing some electronic scanning and then a beep.

"Welcome, Councilman," an automated voice spoke. "How many I assist you today?"

"Code 34," Math repeated what the Councilman had told.

"Records Room," the voice confirmed before closing the elevator doors and descending.

"Get ready for a fight," Math warned his partner. "That guy doesn't look like a pushover."

"Good, cause neither are we," Nasser replied. Math chuckled.

"You almost sounded like Robin just now," he replied with a smile on his face, annoying his teammate.

"Just a little further now," the Councilman informed everyone. Just then, a soldier appeared from behind the corner ahead of them and screamed with pride "Hail the Iron Knights!" before opening fire, killing two of the attendees.

"No!" Ruo cried out. He pounced at the soldier, who threw a punch at him. Ruo dodged it, grabbed his arm and then slammed him against the wall. In complete contrast to before, his attacks now looked much less like martial arts and more like a bestial fighter.

"Whoa," Robin gasped.

"Let's move," Ruo responded in a stern manner. "Then we'll meet up with Math and Nasser."

The elevator kept taking Math and Nasser down to the Records room, prepared to fight the anonymous man they had seen on the cameras. It wasn't too long before they arrived; the doors opened to show a large room filled with computer screens, ports to put scrolls, and other technology, but that wasn't their focus. What was supposed to be their focus was gone.

"Where'd he go?" Nasser asked, looking around.

"He transformed into burning ashes, remember?" Math reminded. "Keep an eye open. Back to back." Math faced the front while Nasser turned to the back, their weapons ready as they slowly approached the main computer, reading "Hacking: 73%". They knew they had to remove the device quickly, but didn't want to be taken by surprise by the mysterious warrior they had seen.

"He must've known we were coming," Math assumed. "There's almost nowhere here to hide." To their shock, the warrior reappeared above them and swung his nodachi at them, separating them. The two of them took a good look at the armored, red-eyed warrior between them, feeling dread seep into their hearts. What didn't help was the sight of smeared blood on his armor, a truly sickening sight.

"Is that blood?" Nasser asked. "That's sick." There was no response or movement from the armored warrior.

"Who are you?" Math demanded to know.

"A devil you created," he spoke calmly before turning to face Math and rushing at him. He swung his nodachi several times at Math, who blocked them with his weapons, but was taken off guard when the warrior used his scabbard to hit him in the jaw and stomach.

Nasser launched himself at the warrior using his Semblance; his knives didn't even touch him before he turned to ash and reappeared behind him. He kicked him into the air, though Nasser blocked his attempted attack with a swipe of his knife and then anchored himself back to the floor.

The nodachi wielder reappeared behind Math, who had enough time to block a blow with his shield. Nasser jumped in beside his teammate and the two unleashed a flurry of powerful attacks on the armored fighter, flawlessly blocking all of them with his nodachi and scabbard.

After one strike that nearly landed on the armored fighter, he turned into ashes once again and flew past the two fighters. They coughed from inhaling small bits of the ashes, leaving them open to a brutal swipe from the warrior's nodachi from behind. Their Auras shimmered from the impact, very close to being completely depleted.

"Who is this guy?" Nasser questioned. "Why do you want information on all the Huntsmen in Vale?" Again, there was no response from the armored warrior.

Math imbued Claiomh Solais with all of his Aura Swords and threw it at the armored fighter; even though he dodged, Math tried to bring it back telekinetically to deal another attack, the nodachi user rushed up to Math and completely depleted his Aura with two more brutal strikes. His Aura Swords left Claiomh Solais, causing the blade to fall onto the ground.

"Math!" Nasser called out. He threw his chains at the armored fighter, wrapping around his arms. Before he could pull him away from his team leader, the nodachi user turned into ashes, reappeared behind Nasser and violently grabbed his neck. He grabbed one of Nasser's chains, wrapped it around his neck and then proceeded to violently slam him into the wall and ground until his Aura was depleted.

Despite his own Aura being down, Math rushed to grab his sword, activated its shotgun form and unloaded several rounds at the armored warrior, who effortlessly deflected every last one. Math tried to reload, but before he could finish, the armored fighter punched him in the side of the head, knocking him to the ground.

Two strong students, Mathdon Kendrick and Nasser Achdarr, lied there, their Auras completely depleted and almost no strength left to continue the fight. Whoever this fighter was, they thought their combined strength would be enough to take him; they were wrong.

The armored fighter looked to the console where he placed the device, the screen above it reading "Hacking: 97%".

"No, you don't," Nasser growled as he took Shafarnasr, switched it to its SMG form, and shot at the device. The armored fighter unsheathed his nodachi and blocked the bullets he fired. Nasser continued his barrage of SMG fire until the nodachi user rushed up to him, knocked the knife aside and kicked him onto the ground.

"You lose," Nasser smirked. A loud blast was heard from behind them; Math held Claiomh Solais in its shotgun form, having shot and destroyed the device that was hacking the records. Once again, no response from the armored warrior as he kicked Nasser's face in, knocking him unconscious, visibly angering the autistic swordsman.

"You've lost," Math growled, struggling to stand up. "The hostages are free, your men are beaten, and your device is destroyed."

"One victory will not be enough to stop us," the warrior finally spoke as he walked towards Math. "And you won't be there to stand in our way."

He grabbed Math by the neck and lifted him into the air. Math struggled to break free of his grasp as he felt his throat slowly being crushed. The warrior's grip was strong, too strong for Math in his beaten state to stop. Math's eyes began to close as he felt an almost complete lack of air.

"Stop right there!" a voice shouted as the elevator door opened and several VSU Soldiers rushed into the room, led by a dark-skinned man with black hair, gray eyes, and was pointing an assault rifle at the warrior, identified as Captain Kijivu.

"Nachtfel, you have nowhere to run!" Kijivu shouted. "Surrender!"

Nachtfel knew what this meant; the silent alarm had been reactivated. He wouldn't have time to try and hack the system again with so many Huntsmen and law enforcement on their way, even if he took out the ones in front of him. Left with no choice, Nachtfel dropped Math onto the floor before turning into ashes and escaping through the air vents.

"Secure the building!" Captain Kijivu commanded. "Arrest any Atlesian soldiers you find in the building and call for medical staff!"

"Math!" a man with blue eyes, red hair and a goatee beard called out as he rushed over to Math.

"Uncle Gormen?" the swordsman weakly asked, his voice weak from his throat nearly crushed.

"Don't worry, medical staff is on the way," Gormen assured as he put Math's arm on his shoulder and walked him over to the elevator while another VSU Soldier carried Nasser to the elevator as well.

Outside, the VSU and VPD had already arrived and apprehended some of the Atlesian imposters that had been unable to escape. All of the surviving attendees were getting checked by doctors for injuries or shock from the frightening turn of events.

"Math!" Robin called out as he rushed over to him and Gormen. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He'll need to see a doctor," Gormen informed as he took notice of the wheezing from Math's mouth. "His throat was almost crushed."

"What?" the archer gasped. "What happened down there?"

"We'll explain later," Gormen answered. "For now, we need to get them to a doctor." Gormen escorted the beaten and brutalized Math and Nasser to a medical station, Ruo and Robin following behind them. He sat his nephew down on a chair so the doctor could examine him while Nasser was laid down since he was still unconscious.

"You're lucky," the doctor informed after examining their injuries. "Just a little longer and you'd be in the morgue."

"Will I…be okay?" Math asked through heavy breaths.

"Your throat will need time to heal, even when your Aura recharges," the doctor informed. "For now, only talk when necessary so you don't put strain on it." Math nodded his head.

"What about Nasser?" Robin asked. "Will he be okay?"

"He's taken a beating like Mathdon, but he should be fine," the doctor informed. "Neither of them have any life-threatening injuries, but they'll need time to rest."

"Did that guy do this to you?" Ruo asked his team leader. Math nodded his head in confirmation.

"Nachtfel," Gormen whispered, but was loud enough for Ruo to hear.

"Nachtfel?" he asked. "Who's he?"

"We'll explain later," Gormen replied. "For now, get some rest. Captain Kijivu and I must speak with General Ironwood about this."

"Why..?" Math asked in a heavy breath.

"The attendees are sure to blame Atlas or, at the least, Ironwood for what happened tonight," Gormen explained. "Those soldiers were stationed here by his command, but from what Robin said, they were actually Iron Knights. We need to explain what happened or things could get very nasty."

"We won't let that happen," Kijivu replied, approaching Gormen. "We will make sure that Atlas is not held responsible for what happened tonight. I've already sent out a patrol to find the actual Atlesian soldiers." He turned his attention over to Team MRRN and showed a smile of approval.

"Before we leave, I want you to know that I think you four handled the situation maturely," he complimented. "You recognized that people were in danger, you made sure not to jeopardize their safety and you took action to stop the enemy from achieving their goal. Well done."

"Thanks," Ruo replied. "So, where do we go now?"

"We're taking your teammates to the medical wing at Beacon to further inspect their injuries," Kijivu answered. "Those men you were up against were not street thugs, they were trained killers."

"Alright," Ruo agreed. "Then Robin and I will just drive back."

"Sounds good to me," Robin spoke. "This was a hell of a night." Math and Nasser were put in an ambulance and then taken to Beacon while Robin and Ruo put all of the team's weapons in the trunk of his car and followed after it.

-0-

In the distance, Nachtfel watched in regret as his brother Iron Knights were put in cuffs and placed in the back of an armored truck. Even if he rescued them, he'd just lead them into a bloodbath not only because they had no weapons, but also since the Huntsmen were escorting them to jail.

"I'm sorry, brothers," he solemnly apologized. "I cannot save you now…but I will if I can later." He turned into ashes and disappeared before he could be spotted.


	6. Information and Recovery

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **Volume 2, Chapter 6: Information and Recovery**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

"That is impossible!" Ironwood denied to Lieutenant Gormen and Captain Kijivu as they were in Ozpin's office "My soldiers are top-trained fighters! You mean to tell me that a group of these so-called Iron Knights killed my men and caused all of this?"

"General, the Iron Knights are not just a bunch of angry men with torches and guns," Kijivu explained. "We've encountered them before. They're an organized militia of trained killers."

"Who are these Iron Knights?" Kura asked. "We don't know much about them."

"Well, there's not much information on them," Gormen explained. "But from what we heard from the ones we managed to arrest, they're an organization of soldiers who wish to wipe out the Huntsmen and those who support them. They're trained to fight and kill Huntsmen."

"So they're here in Vale?" Ozpin asked. Ironwood looked back at Ozpin with disbelief on his face.

"You knew about them?" Ironwood asked. "Why didn't you tell us about them? I could've warned my men."

"I didn't know they were here in Vale," Ozpin replied. "Even if I did, I wouldn't know their plans."

"Taking the hostages was a diversion," Kijivu informed. "They were going to fake a hostage situation for ransom in case any law enforcement or Huntsmen arrived. Their true objective was to hack the Huntsmen Records."

"The Huntsmen Records contain information on every known Huntsman and Huntress in Vale," Goodwitch gasped. "If that Knight had been successful, no Huntsmen or Huntress would be safe."

"Then it's good thing Team MRRN was there," Kijivu spoke. "I shudder to think of what could've happened if Nachtfel had been successful."

"Who's Nachtfel?" Kura asked. Kijivu gestured for Gormen to take out his scroll and place it on Ozpin's desk. The scroll read "Projecting Image" before a holographic image of the armored warrior appeared in the room.

"Nachtfel is the leader of the Iron Knights," Kijivu explained. "He is an extremely dangerous combatant and a charismatic leader. He's been spearheading the Iron Knight's crusade for years now."

"Why didn't you report this to the authorities?" Ironwood demanded to know.

"We did," Kijivu replied. "We told Ozpin and the Vale Council, but because the Iron Knights keep many of their activities under the radar, we didn't have much to tell them."

"Is he the one who brutalized my students?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes, Professor," Gormen confirmed. "After Robin and Ruo-Jian started to escort the hostages to safety, Mathdon and Nasser went to stop Nachtfel from hacking the records. He was too much for them."

"Well, at least they're alive," Kura replied. "Nachtfel sounds like he has a grudge against Huntsmen. What's known about him?"

"Almost nothing," Kijivu informed. "All we know is that he is a powerful combatant, is the leader of the Iron Knights and has blood smeared on his armor."

"Blood smeared on his armor?" Goodwitch questioned, obvious disgust in her voice.

"Blood from the Huntsmen and Huntresses he's killed," Kijivu added. "General, are you familiar with reports of Huntsmen often having a limb removed after being killed?"

"That was this Nachtfel, wasn't it?" Ironwood assumed.

"Yes," Kijivu confirmed. "The Huntsmen aren't the only ones they're after; we also believe that they are against the SDC as well."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Kura expressed. "Jacques Schnee has certainly made a lot of enemies due to how he runs the company."

"Usually, the White Fang are believed responsible, but with the help of some of the Huntsmen, we've been able to determine that some of the attacks on SDC cargo and associates have been done by the Iron Knights," Gormen informed. "Like the White Fang, they LOVE maximum casualties when it comes to the SDC."

"How many are there?" Ironwood demanded to know.

"We're not certain," Kijivu answered. "Every time we ran into Iron Knights or looked up the cases involving them, they only ever attacked in small numbers, usually fifteen, twenty or thirty soldiers. By now, we've assumed that they may be an army by now."

"Why would they want to wipe out the Huntsmen?" Kura asked.

"Because they firmly believe that Huntsmen and those who support them are the true sources of corruption and evil in Remnant," Kijivu replied. He then opened a few files, showing the faces of the Knights they had arrested. "A few of the Iron Knights we arrested were actually former workers for the SDC, having been fired on grounds of threatening Jacques Schnee."

Ironwood gave a low growl in response to this. Despite the need to work with the SDC, the Atlesian general despised Jacques, knowing that he was truly a selfish, egotistical man. If Jacques was not protected by the powerful Schnee name, he would've thrown him in a cell years ago.

He knew perfectly well that the workers had not been fired for threatening Jacques; they discovered that he had married into the family, a secret he kept under lock and key, so he fired them to make sure this humiliating information would not get out. He wanted to do something about it, but Jacques had too many resources at his disposal, which he used to get away with everything he did.

"Did they say anything?" the General asked.

"Nothing," Gormen answered as he retrieved his scroll. "All they'd ever say is 'The cruelty of the Huntsmen will end and we will be free at last!'."

"Cruelty of the Huntsmen?" Ironwood asked in disbelief. "Huntsmen have protected Remnant ever since the Academies were first built."

"But not all who leave the Academies become protectors," Ozpin spoke up. "Some Huntsmen and Huntresses use their abilities to oppress others, to intimidate…not everyone who enters this Academy wants to protect the innocent."

"Which is a damn shame," Kijivu replied. "The Council has officially tasked the Huntsmen with tracking down the Iron Knights, so that means it'll be up to the VSU to deal with the White Fang and Torchwick."

"If you ever need help, let me know and I'll lend you some of my men," Ironwood offered.

"Thank you, General," Kijivu replied. "Three people died tonight. We must not let something like this happen again."

"Agreed," Ozpin spoke. "Before you leave, I would to know how bad Team MRRN's injuries are."

"Math and Nasser are the ones who really needed medical attention," Gormen informed. "Math's throat was almost crushed by Nachtfel, so talking and possibly breathing will be very hard for him for a while. He and Nasser will live, but they'll need some time to recover."

"Thank you," Ozpin replied. "Is there anything else we should know?"

"That's all we know for now," Kijivu spoke. "For now, we must leave. We'll let you and the Council know if we discover anything about Torchwick, the White Fang or the Iron Knights."

"Have a good night," Ozpin said as the two high-ranking VSU Officers walked to the elevator and left.

"Team MRRN handled the situation well," Kura admitted.

"I agree," Ironwood replied. "They recognized a threat and took action to stop it, while at the same time considering the lives of innocents."

"I just wish Mr. Kendrick and Mr. Achdarr weren't brought back in such bad condition," Ozpin spoke. "Glynda, please keep them out of active combat in your class until they've recovered."

"I will," Goodwitch acknowledged.

"Why didn't you tell us about the Iron Knights?" Ironwood demanded to know as he turned to face Ozpin. "We could've dealt with this threat a long time ago."

"We didn't have much information on them," Ozpin replied with a stern tone. "There was barely any information to make a move against them. Like Kijivu said, they keep their activities away from the limelight; they're careful not to give away anything that can be used against them."

"If we had known, we could've prevented tonight!" Ironwood claimed, leaning on Ozpin's desk. "My men could still be alive right now!"

"James!" Goodwitch called out, prompting the Atlesian General to silence. "Even if we had known about the Iron Knights, we couldn't have foretold that they would've planned. Don't get mad at Ozpin." Ironwood sighed heavily as he backed off from Ozpin's desk.

"We need to be prepared for them," Kura insisted. "If the Iron Knights truly are as dangerous as they're made out to be, then we must at least be ready to face them."

"And we will," Ozpin assured. "The Iron Knights will not win. We mustn't let them."

"Do you think it's possible that the Iron Knights are working with the White Fang?" Kura suggested. Ironwood shook his head in reply.

"I doubt it," he answered. "The White Fang would never work with humans."

"Then how do we explain them following Torchwick's orders?" Goodwitch reminded Ironwood. "It is a possibility; a slim one, but one we shouldn't ignore."

"Agreed," Ozpin replied. "Hopefully, we'll find out what we need to and stop them before they can make a move that costs us greatly."

-0-

"How are you feeling?" Safirlas asked her brother as the doctor examined him further. She had gotten up during the night after she felt nauseous, but luckily felt better after taking medicine. However, as she was on her way back to her dorm, she saw Mathdon and Nasser being taken to the medical wing and decided to find out what was going on. She was now sitting next to him with Nasser still laying down, who was now conscious and Ruo and Robin sitting across from them.

Math smiled and gave her a thumbs-up, though it was not very reassuring for his sister. She noticed the bruising on his neck as he lifted his head up and breathed heavily.

"What happened to them?" Safirlas requested to know.

"The VSU told me there was an attack on the Council Hall tonight," Dr. Chiffon informed. "Team MRRN was able to save innocent lives and tried to stop the one in charge, but he was too strong for them."

"Can you at least talk?" she asked Mathdon.

"Yes," he replied with a rather weak voice.

"Even though he can speak, he's been advised not to do so unless necessary so he doesn't put strain on his throat," Dr. Chiffon informed.

"And Nasser?" Robin asked.

"Don't worry; I'll be fine," he replied. "Although I wish I didn't have this killer headache…ugh. Will we at least be able to leave?"

"Mr. Kendrick will, but you'll need to stay here tonight," Dr. Chiffon replied. He grabbed a bandage and wrapped it around Math's neck. After doing so, he walked over to his desk, picked up a glass bottle containing green liquid and poured it into a small plastic cup.

"This should help with your throat," he explained, handing it to the swordsman. Math took the cup and tasted it; his face immediately screwed up from the very bitter taste. He sighed and drank it all in gulp, his face showing his obvious struggle to get past the bitter taste.

"Until you two make a full recovery, Professor Ozpin has asked you to stay out of active combat for now," the doctor informed. "Whoever you went you went up against tonight really did a number on you."

"I'm just happy you're alive, Math," Safirlas spoke.

"Does anybody care if I'm okay?" Nasser asked with an offended tone, disliking that everyone seemed more focused on Math.

"Of course we do," Ruo assured. "If we didn't, we wouldn't have bothered asking."

"Alright," he replied. "It sucks that I have to stay here."

"Don't worry," Dr. Chiffon assured. "You'll be able to leave tomorrow morning."

"Yay," Nasser sarcastically replied before putting an ice pack on his head, groaning from his painful headache.

"Have a good night," Dr. Chiffon spoke as Math, Safirlas, and Ruo left the room, leaving Nasser with Robin.

"Well, tonight was quite a night," Robin spoke to the knife user. "Got kicked out of a restaurant, had good dinner at a different one and stopped the Iron Knights."

"Whoo," Nasser faked cheered. "You're not the one who has a killer headache."

"Was he really that strong?" Robin asked.

"Uh, yes," Nasser replied. "We thought we could take him, but instead…" Nasser still didn't like the idea of facing defeat, but there was no sugarcoating this. Nachtfel fought and easily defeated him and Mathdon without losing a single bit of Aura. If it weren't for the VSU, Math would've died from his neck being crushed…not choked, crushed.

"I know," Robin spoke, knowing that Nasser hated admitting when he was beaten. "You know that attendee that was being a jerk to Ruo?"

"The Atlesian one?" Nasser asked for confirmation. "What'd he do?"

"Even after we saved his life, he tried to pin the blame on Ruo," Robin revealed, much to Nasser's anger. "Luckily, Kijivu didn't believe him and told him to 'shove his nonsense where the sun doesn't shine'." Nasser laughed.

"Serves that Atlesian prick right," he chuckled. "Now I see why many people aren't fans of Atlas. Bunch of pricks, if you ask me."

"Well, are you going to see Octavia tomorrow?" the archer asked. "Just to let her know you're okay."

"Yeah, sure," Nasser replied. He expected his teammate to tease him a little pver his feelings for Octavia, but heard nothing.

"No teasing?"

"No teasing," Robin assured.

"Thanks," the knife wielder replied. "It's nice knowing you can shut up."

"It's also nice knowing that you're a big softie underneath all that," the archer replied with a cocky smirk, rivaled by Nasser's annoyed scowl.

"Get out," he demanded. "I need some sleep."

"Sweet dreams, tough guy," Robin replied, earning a groan of annoyance from Nasser. The archer left the room as well, leaving the green-themed member of Team MRRN by himself.

"Is there anything you need before I go?" Safirlas asked her brother as they stood outside Team MRRN's dorm. Math shook his head in reply; normally, this would annoy Safirlas, but had to make an exception since Math had to give his throat time to rest. He could see the small hint of annoyance on his sister's face and sighed.

"Sometimes, it feels like everything either annoys her or makes her mad," he thought to himself.

"Alright, then," Safirlas replied. "I'll see you tomorrow." She then walked off to her dorm, so Math pulled out his scroll, used it to unlock the door and walked in.

"Well, at least your sister was there for you," Ruo brought up. Math sighed as he fell onto his bed, exhausted and worn from the night.

"I wish we could've saved everyone," Ruo brought up.

"What?" Math asked in a quiet tone. The Faunus had a look of regret on his face as he made eye contact with Mathdon.

"Two of the attendees were killed after an Iron Knight got the jump on us," he admitted. Math sighed, then reached for his scroll, typed something and then texted it to his teammate. Ruo's scroll buzzed and he opened it to read the text message his leader had sent him.

The message read 'We did what we could. We won't always be able to save everyone, though it'd be much easier for us if we could.' Ruo exhaled and placed the scroll back on the table.

"I know," he replied. "I've witnessed so much death when I was with the White Fang. To just see it again…well, I guess I'll have to get used to it again." Math typed on his scroll again; instead of texting this time, he walked over to Ruo's bed and showed him his message, reading 'As much as I'd hate saying it, my experience with Forest and Glaucus told me that we will see death in our years as Huntsmen. We may not be able to save everyone, but we'll save the ones we can.'

"I know," Ruo replied. "Well, let's hope that if we face those Iron Knights again, we'll be ready for them." Math nodded his head in agreement just as the door swung open and Robin walked in.

"Well, Nasser's fine," he informed as he sat down in his own bed. "Though he doesn't like the fact that this Nachtfel guy mopped the floor with you guys."

"While Nasser had improved, he still doesn't like the idea of losing or admitting it," Ruo pointed out. "If we run into those Knights again, we must be ready."

"No argument there," Robin agreed. "I mean, an entire faction dedicated to the destruction of the Huntsmen? Doesn't that seem really messed up to you guys?"

"I've run into my fair share of corrupt Huntsmen when I was with Jinse," Ruo informed his teammates. "Unfortunately, not every student that leaves here will become a protector. Instead, they use their abilities to intimidate, to kill needlessly and to satisfy their own petty needs."

"Yeah, but to be pushed to want to kill every Huntsman in Vale…Nachtfel must really hate Huntsmen."

"Well, your uncle told us that blood on his armor belonged to Huntsmen he's killed," Ruo reminded. Typing was heard, so the two of them looked to Math, watching him type a message. He showed it to them, reading 'When we fought him and asked him who he was, he replied 'A devil you created'. Whatever happened, he seems to blame Huntsmen for it.'

"Probably the SDC too," Robin brought up. "Uncle Gormen told us that there was proof of them having killed those affiliated with the SDC and even invited former workers into their army."

"It wouldn't surprise me, considering how Jacques runs the company," Ruo replied with some anger in his tone. "Cheap labor bordering on slavery, willing to sacrifice the lives of those 'lower' than him, wiping out every Dust business in Atlas…his way of running the SDC is sure to have earned him many enemies, not that he cares."

Math had heard about Jacques Schnee from Forest and Glaucus. He was the epitome of 'greed' and 'selfishness' in Math's eyes; all he cared about was winning, no matter who had to pay the price as long as it wasn't him. He couldn't stand him. He couldn't stand anyone so willing to selfishly throw away lives for their own agenda.

"We should probably worry about it tomorrow," Robin insisted as he yawned. "I'm tired. I'm getting in my PJs and going to bed." Math nodded his head in agreement.

"Hopefully, the Huntsmen will be able to stop them before they do serious damage," Ruo said. "Let's get to sleep."

-0-

" _Why didn't it work?"_ Cinder asked Nachtfel over his scroll. _"You claimed your Knights could combat Huntsmen."_

"Because they can," Nachtfel answered. "My Knights are trained to kill Huntsmen. We've faced professional Huntsmen before."

" _Then why couldn't you and your Knights take FOUR STUDENTS?!"_ Cinder roared, her eyes probably searing with rage. _"You assured me-"_

"It will be done," Nachtfel assured. "They weren't thorough enough."

" _What do you mean?"_ Cinder demanded to know.

"When the Knights in the Security Room wouldn't respond, I suspected Huntsmen were already in the building," Nachtfel explained. "I took the liberty of taking two devices." He could feel the anger leave Cinder for a moment before a cruel chuckle was heard.

" _You placed a second device in the Records Room,"_ Cinder realized. _"I may've underestimated you, Nachtfel. Will you be able to get ALL the Huntsmen Records?"_

"It'll take longer, but we'll get the full records soon enough," Nachtfel replied. "Do you know the team that were at the Council Hall?"

" _Team MRRN,"_ Cinder answered. _"They're a first-year team, but from what I've seen, they show a lot of skill…especially if they were able to beat your Knights."_ Nachtfel was silent, not responding to Cinder's remark. His Knights were not invincible, but saying so would get him scolded by the young woman, which he didn't want to bother with right now.

" _In fact, so much skill that Ozpin has his eye on them,"_ Cinder added.

"Why would Ozpin pay close attention to Team MRRN?" he asked confused.

" _You simply don't know Ozpin like I do,"_ Cinder responded. _"But that's not important. What is important is you doing your job so Roman can do his and I can do mine."_

"Don't worry," Nachtfel responded. "We'll take care of the Huntsmen. My Knights wait for when they can unleash their wrath on those who wronged them."

Cinder had already hung up. The nodachi user growled in frustration as he put his scroll on the table.

"What have I gotten my men and I into?" he wondered. "This Cinder promised us the destruction of the four Academies and the deaths of all Huntsmen. Obviously, she has her own agenda, but in the end…what is she after? Who is her master?"

"Brother!" the Slasher called as he opened the door. "We're ready when you are." Under his helmet, Nachtfel sadistically smiled as he got up and joined his Lieutenant.

The Iron Knights were all looking at a stake held up by two strong ropes. The stake was doused in oil, a special type that was made to burn slowly, which was perfect for what they were about to do.

Tied to the stake was an associate of the SDC, its snowflake symbol on his fancy clothes. He had been found arriving to Vale in the hopes of scouting out more stores for Jacques to run out of business so he could have more influence in the kingdom. Before he could, he was abducted during the middle of the night and brought here. Why he was here, he didn't know at first…but now he knew.

"Release me at once!" he demanded in an arrogant tone. "I am an associate of Jacques Schnee! If you make an enemy of him-"

"He's made an enemy out of everyone!" the Slasher called out as he and Nachtfel approached the stake. "He made an enemy of me when he allowed my parents to die in a Dust Mine explosion just so he could reach more Dust!"

"It was a necessary sacrifice," the SDC associate claimed in a callous tone. "Jacques Schnee does everything he can for Atlas."

"He does everything for himself!" the Slasher roared. "He doesn't care about people…only winning." Nachtfel held up his hand, silencing the Slasher.

"You are Adrian Lapis," he addressed. "Business associate of Jacques Schnee. Benefits from the suffering of others. Sacrifices anyone 'lower' than you just so you can be in Jacques's good graces."

"You're all nothing but a bunch of lowlifes!" he called out. "Jacques Schnee and I are more important than all of you combined!"

"You were the one who suggested to raise the price of Fire Dust," Nachtfel continued. "You advised raising it to a price so high that people can barely afford one crystal when back then, they could've bought enough to keep them warm for months. This act drove many people we knew into poverty since Fire Dust is a need in Atlas…but you didn't care, did you?" He glared at Adrian with his red eyes, frightening the SDC associate.

"Tell me, Mr. Lapis…why should we spare your life when you allowed so many to die for Dust?" Nachtfel asked him, getting closer to him.

"Because Jacques Schnee is my ally!" he shouted. "I'm more important than-" Nachtfel slapped him, shutting him up.

"Do you honestly think it's a wise decision to speak about your superiority when you are at our mercy?" the devil warrior asked. "Bring the Dust." Two Iron Knights walked in front of the crowd, carrying a rather large case. They placed it on the ground in front of the group. Nachtfel walked over to the case, unlocked it and then opened it, showing vast amounts of Fire Dust that had once belonged to the SDC.

"This is what he was willing to trade human and Faunus lives for!" Nachtfel preached. "Dust! Crystals! He did it because he never had enough…" His helmet hid the monstrous sadistic smile stretching across his face.

"If he loves this Dust so much…wouldn't it be fitting to end his life with it?" At this point, Adrian tried to get out of his restraints, but to no avail. He tried in desperation to break free as some of the Iron Knights walked up to the case and each took a Fire Dust crystal. They all stood in front of Adrian like an execution squad, preparing to throw the Fire Dust.

"Please!" Adrian begged. "We can work something out! Jacques would be willing to pay for my ransom! Please take it! Please don't kill me!" Nachtfel was silent.

"What happens now is up to those you and Jacques have wronged," he explained as he stepped to the side. Adrian looked at the Knights holding Fire Dust, silently pleading for his life. He and Jacques ruined their lives; why should they care?

One of them threw their crystal, igniting the oil and preparing to slowly roast Adrian alive. The rest of them threw their crystals as well, causing the fire to grow and ignite more oil. He continuously begged to stop the fire, but the Iron Knights only watched in amusement as he opened his mouth to scream.

The Knights cheered as Adrian was slowly burned alive. In a few minutes, Adrian's screams could no longer be heard, only the crackling of flames. As the fire burned, Nachtfel stood in front of them, the fire behind him.

"One day, it will be Jacques Schnee being burned alive," he started. "The day will come when we have vengeance on those who have wronged us, made us suffer…The day will come when Remnant is safe from the Huntsmen and their allies and WE will be the ones to make it happen! The era of corruption is over!" The Knights cheered after Nachtfel finished his speech.


	7. Lunch Date

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **VOLUME 2, CHAPTER 7: Lunch Date**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

Morning had rolled around. As promised, Nasser was allowed to leave the medical wing since his Aura had started healing his injuries. He walked into the lounging area to see his teammates along with RWBY and JNPR already there, having a big breakfast.

"Hey, Nasser," Robin greeted.

"Are you alright?" Jaune asked. "They already told us what happened last night."

"I'm feeling fine," Nasser assured. "No need to worry."

"We're just caring as friends should," Jaune responded as he grabbed some eggs and sausage for himself.

"What about you, Math?" Nasser asked his team leader. "How's your throat?" The swordsman took out his scroll, typed a message and showed it to Nasser, reading 'It'll be better much faster since my Aura's back on.' Just then, his girlfriend sat down next to him and gave him a cup of coffee before pecking his cheek.

"You ready for later today, Ruo~?" Yang asked the Faunus with a flirty tone.

"Gross!" Ruby whined as she tried eating some cookies, but her older sister snatched them away.

"Stop eating cookies so early," she told her younger sister. "You can have some later." Ruby snorted as she mumbled under her breath, bitter about her cookies being taken away.

"What did you have in mind for lunch?" Ruo asked as he took a bite out of his usual pile of food.

"First off, don't even THINK of ordering that much food," Yang warned with a stern tone. Ruo looked at his food and then Yang, then back at his food and then Yang. He nodded his head in response to the blonde brawler.

"Good," she said, reverting to her usual upbeat tone. "I already found a Faunus friendly café called Mauve's. It's not too far from here. That sound good?"

"Are you two going on a date yet?" Nora asked with some impatience in her tone.

"We're going to get lunch later today," Ruo confirmed. A scroll went off all of a sudden. Nasser heard the noise coming from his pocket, so he pulled it out and it showed a number that made his face sour.

"Who was it?" Ruby asked, trying to get her cookies back, but Yang stopped her.

"Very wrong number," Nasser answered. His scroll went off again, the same number appearing. He growled and put it on silent, stuffing it back in his pocket. He saw Math pulling out his own scroll to type a message and show it to him, reading 'It's Cassim, isn't it?'

"That obvious, huh?" Nasser whispered. His scroll went off once more; Nasser ripped it out of his pocket and saw the exact same number. He growled and left the lounging area, not wanting anyone to hear his conversation. When he was far down the hallway, he answered.

"What do you want?" Nasser answered in a hostile manner.

" _Hey, that's no way to speak to your older brother,"_ Cassim said. _"I just want to talk."_

"You have two minutes before I shut my scroll off," Nasser warned, not wanting to deal with any of his brother's hypocrisy and selfishness.

" _I saw you in the news earlier,"_ Cassim started. _"You saved lives last night. I'm proud of you."_

"Yes, I saved lives," Nasser replied. "What do you want?"

" _The Councilman at the Vytal Committee spoke of how bravely you acted,"_ Cassim added. _"Do you have any idea how good that is? So, I was wondering if we could meet up."_

Nasser's eyes widened in anger and shock. Cassim was going to use him to get into the Councilman's graces. Doing so would mean more popularity and possibly money for himself.

"You lowlife piece of shit," he snarled. "You just want to use me to get on the Councilman's good side."

" _Don't be selfish,"_ Cassim demanded. _"This is a chance-"_

Nasser stopped listening after that. To hear Cassim get on him for being selfish when he stole all of their father's inheritance for himself was making his blood boil. Not only what his brother greedy, but he was a hypocrite.

"Shut the hell up!" he roared at the top of his lungs. "You love getting on me for being selfish when you completely ignore that you stole all of Dad's inheritance for yourself and left us in near poverty. I'm getting so damn tired of YOUR selfishness and hypocrisy."

" _I am NOT selfish,"_ Cassim growled. _"I took what was mine. You have no right to get on me for it."_

"Rot in hell, ass-clown," Nasser snarled as he hung up. The first time his brother called him in years and he was just going to use him to boost his ego.

"You okay, man?" Robin asked, approaching from behind him.

"I'm fine, other than having to deal with my crap brother," Nasser replied.

"Well, let's go and get some breakfast before classes start," Robin suggested. "You know how much Ruo and Nora eat."

"Don't remind me," the knife user replied as he followed his teammate back to the lounging area to get breakfast.

-0-

Noon rolled around and Ruo's classes were done for the day. He was on his way to his dorm, changing back into his normal clothes and looking in the mirror as he checked yet again for any of the blue paint from Math's prank.

"I swear, if he gets paint on my clothes one more time…" Ruo growled. There was a knock at the door, Ruo immediately sensing who it was. He walked over, grabbed the knob and opened it to see none other than Yang Xiao Long."

"Hello," he greeted.

"Hey," she greeted back. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "To be honest, I'm nervous. I've never really gone out to lunch with someone before."

"Come on, it'll be fun," Yang assured as the two of them walked down the hallway.

"Is Blake doing okay?" Ruo asked Yang. "We noticed she's been distant…much more distant than usual."

"She's been bothered by the whole idea of Roman and the White Fang working together," Yang answered. "It's been eating her up ever since the night at the Docks."

"Well, I'll admit I'm confused as well," Ruo admitted as he and Yang exited the dorm building. "Why would the White Fang, an organization who hates humanity, suddenly take orders from one?"

"Well, we're going to find answers tomorrow," Yang explained. "We're going to try and find out what's going on."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Ruo asked, concern in his tone. "It's been officially named a VSU investigation. I'm sure they can handle it."

"That's what I told Blake," the brawler informed. "Well…not that it's a VSU investigation, but that they could handle it. She wasn't convinced, especially since the Huntsmen are tasked with hunting down these Iron Knights or whatever they're called."

"Iron Knights," Ruo confirmed. "Apparently, they're an organization who want to destroy the Huntsmen and their allies. They believe that it is the Huntsmen who are responsible for the corruption and evil in the world."

"You're joking?" Yang asked in disbelief. "We're not perfect, but wanting to wipe us all out?"

"Unfortunately, I've…met some and known corrupt Huntsmen back in Mistral," Ruo replied. "It's Huntsmen like them that convince them they're right."

"Corrupt?" Yang asked.

"I met a person in Anima who told me of a group of Huntsmen who were harassing his village for protection money, threatening to attract the Grimm if their price was not met," Ruo explained. "One day, the Huntsmen came and they didn't have enough money. They waited for the Grimm to attack, but it never happened. The Huntsmen were found dead the next day, allowing the village to reclaim their money."

"Wow," Yang replied in shock. "That's messed up. How were they killed?"

"They thought it was the Grimm at first, but Grimm don't know how to use guns," Ruo replied. "There's no doubt the Iron Knights were the ones responsible."

"So these Iron Knights think they're doing Remnant a favor by killing us off," Yang deduced. "That's why they were trying to get that information last night?"

"Without a doubt," Ruo answered. "Well, I guess you don't to spend the entire lunch talking about them, so have you been doing well?"

"Doing good," Yang replied with her upbeat tone as they approached the elevator that would take them to the parking garage. "Can't wait for the dance. Do you plan on going?"

"Probably," Ruo responded. "I've never been one to attend formal occasions like dances."

"Let me guess: more focused on training?" Yang asked.

"For the most part," Ruo replied. The elevator opened and the two of them walked in. Yang pushed the parking garage button, closing the doors and descending.

Yang was unusually quiet for a minute. She was thinking of the time she and Ruo went to Junior's Bar, where she had learned more about him than she anticipated. She hadn't brought it up to him, not knowing how he'd react given his hatred for the White Fang. She felt she had to tell him now; however he'd respond, she'd find a way to not jeopardize her friendship with him.

The elevator doors opened and the two walked out to Bumblebee. Yang handed Ruo a helmet, put on her own along with some shades, and gestured for him to sit behind her. Unlike last time, the White Tiger showed no annoyance towards Yang as he sat down behind her, making the blonde brawler smile.

Yang started up Bumblebee and, again, went over the speed limit, made a lot of sharp turns, and laughed cheerfully as she recklessly drove through the streets of Vale. Upon reaching Mauve's, she parked next to the sidewalk, took off her helmet and shook her hair.

"You alright?" she asked. Ruo's face was a frozen mix of shock, fright and adrenaline. His hair went all over the place, almost looking like a lion's mane. After recovering from Yang's driving, the Faunus shook his head, fixed his hair and placed the helmet down.

"Here we are," she said as they looked at the word "Mauve's" in purple. It looked like a comfortable little café, with tables and chairs outside and inside. The glass doors showed several people already here for dates, gatherings or waiting to meet someone; the rest were on their scrolls, computers and other electronics to pass the time.

They walked in and immediately smelled the good food being made here. They approached the front desk, where a waitress greeted Yang with a warm smile, but Ruo with a rather apathetic one.

"How can I help you, ma'am?" she asked.

"Strawberry lemonade, no ice and make sure it has an umbrella," Yang ordered. "Along with a…steak sandwich."

"Alright," the waitress replied. "Your total comes out to-"

"Wait," Yang interrupted. "You didn't take his order." The waitress reached down and pulled out a small bottle of milk.

"Here," she replied. Yang's eyes flared at this insult towards her friend.

"What is wrong with you?" she growled.

"Do you want your order or not?" the waitress asked.

"What's going on here?" another voice asked. Ruo and Yang looked to see a rather young man in a shirt and tie, possibly the manager or boss.

"She wouldn't take his order," Yang replied. "Then she just put a thing of milk on the counter for him." The manager looked over at the waitress with a rather disappointed scowl.

"Go to the back," he ordered. "I'll speak to you later and explain that we have a 'no-discriminating' policy." The waitress left the register and the manager walked up.

"I'm so sorry about that," he apologized. "We do have a 'no-discriminating' policy, but it's not clicking with everyone."

"That's fine," Ruo assured. "I'll take an Unsweet Tea and steak sandwich too." Ruo was about to pull out his wallet, but Yang beat him to the punch.

"I asked you to lunch," Yang reminded Ruo. "Don't you think it'd rude of me to make you pay?"

"I was just being considerate," Ruo replied.

"Such a gentleman~" Yang said in a flirty tone. The two of them walked over to a table next to the glass, seeing the uncommonly peaceful streets of Vale.

"So, Yang," Ruo started. "Are you here from Vale?"

"Actually, Patch," Yang answered. "My sister and I went to Signal Academy before we came to Beacon. She got in two years early, though Ozpin won't tell us why."

"I'm sure he has his reasons," Ruo responded. Just then, four Atlesian soldiers walked past the glass, catching everyone's attention.

Things had gotten tense ever since the Atlesian forces arrived. Why would Ironwood bring so many troops during the peaceful festival? With Torchwick's robberies, the attack on the Vytal Committee and the occupation of soldiers, everyone was edge.

"Why would Ironwood bring soldiers to Vale?" Ruo wondered. "It defeats the purpose of the Vytal Festival being a peaceful occasion."

"I know," Yang agreed. "Well, Ruby said that when Ozpin let her into Beacon, all he mentioned were her eyes and her badass skills. Skills, she's definitely got them…but what's so important about her eyes?"

"I don't know," Ruo responded. "Do her eyes help with her Semblance?"

"No," Yang informed. "Her eyes have nothing do with it." Just then, the manager came and placed their meals on the table for them.

"Disappointed you couldn't get a Strawberry sunrise?" Ruo asked playfully.

"Ever since the Atlesian troops arrived, it's been harder to get into Junior's Bar without getting caught," Yang explained, some annoyance in her tone.

"Well…you are underage and you could get in trouble with Goodwitch and Ozpin for going there," Ruo brought up.

"Yeah, I know," Yang admitted.

"I'm just happy we didn't the time we went there together," the Faunus said. "I just got so drunk in so little time."

"So you can eat a mountain of food, but you can't handle three alcoholic drinks?" the blonde teased.

"My body's not used to alcohol," the White Tiger admitted as he drank some of his tea.

The thought of telling Ruo about what he told her once again crept into Yang's mind. He told her very deep and personal information, but it was obvious he didn't know. She thought of telling him, but was stopped by the idea of jeopardizing her friendship with the Faunus martial artist.

No. She would tell him. She felt like she needed to.

"Hey, Ruo," Yang spoke after finishing their meals in a more solemn tone, worrying Ruo. Yang rarely ever took a tone like this, usually being upbeat and cheerful; there was something heavy she needed to tell him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Can we head somewhere else?" she asked. Ruo was now definitely concerned. The two of them left their table and went outside to hop onto Bumblebee. Yang drove them in the direction away from the café and towards an abandoned basketball court. Yang parked her motorcycle and led Ruo near the hoop.

"What is it?" he asked once more.

"That night I took you to Junior's Bar and you got drunk, you…you told me about your mother," Yang told him.

Ruo felt time stop for a minute. He thought he had heard wrong, but there was no mistaking the sincerity in Yang's voice and eyes. She was telling the truth.

"What specifically did I tell you?" the Faunus asked, trying to hide the fear in his heart of if Yang knew about his past in the White Fang.

"You told me that after your father was killed, your mother believed that humans and Faunus couldn't coexist, so she made you join the White Fang with her," Yang explained, being careful to make sure they weren't overheard.

Against his normal calm, collected self, Ruo was very nervous now that Yang knew about HIS own past in the White Fang.

He remembered; Blake admitted that she was once associated with them and Yang still accepted her back. But would she do the same for him?

"I saw the scars," Yang added. "Did your mother really do that to you?" Taking a deep breath, Ruo nodded his head to confirm Yang's words.

"Yes, she did," he replied. "The White Fang destroyed my mother, turned her into something she wasn't. That's why I hate the White Fang."

To Yang, it didn't sound like the White Fang changed his mother for the worse, it was the death of his father; in other words, hatred and prejudice. But she didn't know the whole story, so she wouldn't say anything just yet.

"How did your father die?" Yang asked.

"We came home from dinner and we found out our home had been broken into," Ruo started. "My father was a physician and one of his coworkers needed money, but he refused. He broke into the house, where we found him. My father fought him…and he was shot. By then, the police, who we had already called, arrived."

"They arrested your father's killer, didn't they?" Yang asked.

"No," Ruo continued. "He claimed that my mother killed my father. Given Mistral's bad history with Faunus, the police believed him and my mother was arrested instead."

Yang wanted to give out a loud "WHAT?!", but the shock of how wrong the injustice was silenced her. She couldn't believe that they would arrest his mother for a crime she didn't commit simply because she was a Faunus.

"What about you?" Yang dared to ask the Faunus.

"They just left me," Ruo explained. "I was on the streets for days until my mother broke out. After that, I already told you."

"I'm so sorry," Yang apologized, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me I told you about my mother?" Ruo demanded to know.

"Ruo, you were in tears after you told me," the brawler responded. "I felt that if I told you, you wouldn't react well. It was obvious you told me very sensitive stuff. So I didn't bring it up…and I didn't tell anyone else."

"Okay," Ruo replied. "But so you know, I told my teammates the night after we found Blake."

"I was wondering if you had told them," Yang spoke. "I'm sorry, Ruo. I understand-"

"No, you don't," Ruo interrupted. "You don't know what it's like to feel alone because someone hurt you."

"Yes, I do," Yang silenced him. "I know, because I have no idea where my actual mother is."

Ruo was shocked silent after what Yang said. She had never mentioned her mother, which clicked in his mind. Anytime parents were brought up, Yang would often stay out of it or change it if she was the only one being spoken to.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Ruo asked in a sympathetic tone. Yang exhaled, recovering from her outburst that silenced the Faunus.

"My mother disappeared after I was born," she started. "She was only my biological mother, not Ruby's. Hers was Summer Rose, who became like my mom after my own left." Yang smiled, remembering all of the fond memories she had with Summer, even though she was only a young child at the time.

"You really loved her," Ruo pointed out.

"She was Super Mom," Yang continued. "Slayer of monsters and maker of awesome cookies. Even though I wasn't her biological child, she treated me like I was her own."

"What happened to her?" the White Tiger asked.

"One day, she went on a mission and never came back," Yang admitted, the smile on her face fading away. "We waited and waited…but she never came back. After this, my dad was just…absent. He was so busy with work, I was left to take care of Ruby. I had to pick up the pieces and keep things together." Yang looked at Ruo, her expression ironclad sincerity.

"I know perfectly well what it's like to feel alone."

Ruo-Jian looked down in regret at saying Yang didn't understand. Both of them had suffered because of the loss of a family member. Both of them had to look after themselves for a while until her dad came back from his heartbreak and he ran into Jinse Mu Shi. Both of them knew what it was like to be alone relating to something happening to their mothers.

"Yang, I…" Ruo fell short on words. When he first met Yang, he thought of her as a hotheaded and reckless, yet kind and caring young woman. She had openly flirted with him on a lot of occasions ever since they went to Junior's Bar, but he thought she was just messing with him.

"Is that why you first went to Junior's Bar?" the Faunus asked.

"Junior's known for knowing almost everything going on in Vale," Yang replied. "When I found out, I paid him a visit and hoped he knew something about Raven."

"Raven?" Ruo asked, eyebrow raised.

"My actual mother," Yang clarified. "He didn't know a thing about her."

"So you've been looking for her," the Tiger deduced.

"For years," Yang admitted. "I want to know why she left, why she never came back…if you're wondering why I didn't ask my dad, it's because he wouldn't tell me anything about her. Whenever I brought her up, he'd brush it aside or change the topic, so I decided I had to find out on my own."

"Well, for what it's worth, I hope you find the answers you're looking for," Ruo replied. Yang smiled warmly in response.

"Thanks," she replied. "Let's head back to Beacon."

"Sounds good," Ruo agreed. They hopped onto Bumblebee and drove off in the direction of the Huntsmen Academy, reaching it in about thirty minutes. Yang parked Bumblebee in the parking garage, then the two students made their way to the elevator and went to the school grounds.

" _Can't wait for the dance."_

Ruo had never been one to attend formal events like dances...but he was seriously considering going with Yang. She was no longer the same person he thought she was; instead, there was so much in her that attracted him to the yellow-themed member of Team RWBY. He had to stop being conflicted about his feelings for her and do it…otherwise she'd probably go out with someone else and he didn't want that.

"Hey, Yang," Ruo addressed as they walked out of the elevator.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I know I said I don't attend many formal occasions,, but…if someone hasn't already asked you, will you be my date to the dance?" Ruo asked. Yang's eyes widened, but slowly turned into a genuine and warm smile.

"I will," she answered. "Looking forward to it."

"Same here," Ruo replied with a smile of his own. Yang winked at him before walking off to the locker room.

It clicked in the White Tiger's mind: he had just asked Yang to the dance…even though he didn't know how.

"Crap, crap, crap!" he internally panicked, very against his normally stoic personality. "Please tell me someone I know can dance."

"Hello," Ren greeted as he looked up at Ruo from a book he was reading.

"Hey," Ruo replied. "Can I ask a favor?"

"What is it?" Ren asked. Ruo looked around and tilted his ears to make sure no one was listening.

"I asked Yang to the dance," the Tiger informed. "Do you know someone who can help me? I…I don't know how to dance." A loud clap was heard, coming from Ren swiftly closing his book. A scowl of stern discipline gazed at the Faunus martial artist, a contrast of Ren's usual calm look.

"Let's go," he sternly said, taking Ruo to teach him dancing.

"What have I done?" the White Tiger thought to himself.

-0-

"You think you may not be able to make it to the dance?" Robin asked his now girlfriend, Coco Adel, as she was packing for her mission.

"I don't know for sure," she replied. "We don't know how long we'll be."

"But weren't you in charge of setting things up?" the archer asked.

"Yeah, but if our mission takes longer than expected, Yang and Weiss have agreed to continue it for us," the fashionista informed. "I'm sorry if we can't go together. I know we were both looking forward to it."

"Yeah," Robin agreed. "If you don't, we can always have a dance of our own."

"I can do that," Coco replied with a smile. "But don't give up hope just yet. My team is more than capable of handling what Grimm are thrown our way."

"I know," Robin spoke. While he was trying not to show it, he was disappointed that he and his girlfriend may not be able to go to the dance as planned. He understood that they were needed as they were one of Beacon's strongest teams, but it still stunk.

"So, Robin," Coco spoke. "If we don't make it back to the dance, then feel free to go with someone else. I don't want you missing out on the fun."

"To be honest, I may go alone if we can't make it," Robin admitted. "It just means we'll need to have our own dance, right?"

"Maybe," Coco replied. "Well, we need to go. Have fun."

"Stay safe," Robin replied as he kissed Coco and she kissed him back. The sweet and gentle yet passionate kiss lasted for a few moments until Coco made herself pull away.

"Let's go," she told her teammates as they left the dorm and headed to the docks to reach their bullhead. Robin used his Semblance to watch them from afar as they boarded the bullhead and flew off.

"I love you, Coco," Robin softly said, deactivating his Semblance when the bullhead was out of sight.


	8. In Trouble

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **VOLUME 2, CHAPTER 8: In Trouble**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

"Please, this is all we have," a person begged the Huntsmen who were holding him and those accompanying him at gunpoint, along with his wife and child. He and his company of thirty were travelling through the forest to a village to establish a temporary shop as they were travelling merchants. However, a group of Huntsmen got the drop on them and was taking everything from them.

"And you'll lose your lives as well if you don't shut up," the leader threatened, pointing his shotgun at the man.

"You're Huntsmen!" the child shouted. "You're supposed to be protecting us, not robbing us!" The leader chuckled condescending in response to what the child said.

"Be quiet!" her father told her.

"No, no," the lead Huntsman replied. "It's obvious she needs a lesson in reality, so I'll tell her: We are Huntsmen. We're professional Huntsmen at that. Do you know what that means?"

"It means you're bad people," the child replied defiantly.

"No," the Huntsman smirked. "It means we can do whatever. We. Want. Since none of you are Huntsmen like us, you can't stop us...unless you're stupid enough to try."

"You're monsters!" the wife cried, looking at five of their company the Huntsmen had killed. "They had no way of defending themselves!"

"Why should we care?" the leader callously smirked. "If they didn't learn to defend themselves, that's their fault, not ours."

"That's everything!" one of his crew called out. "Got the money, supplies…everything."

"Good," the leader spoke. He then reached over and grabbed the man's wife and child. He let out a yell of defiance, but the leader pointed his shotgun at him.

"Follow us and they die," he warned. "I may choose to release them; your wife's a beauty after all."

"Let us go!" the young girl cried. The leader handed her over to one of his men, who held her at gunpoint.

"Here's another lesson in the real world," the leader informed. "It's best to shut up and keep quiet…or else we may feed you to the Grimm." He relished in the look of terror on the young girl's face.

"Let's-"

A hooded figure appeared behind them, hitting the leader with his green and silver blade and the other Huntsman with his gauntlet, forcing them to release the wife and young girl.

The Huntsmen looked in shock at the hooded figure who had just attacked them, his blade in one hand and his activated gauntlet in the other.

"Who are you?" the leader asked.

"Someone who's standing in your way," the hooded figure answered. "I will not let you harm these people."

There was silence for a little bit. The robbing Huntsmen looked at each other, confused at this. Finally, the silence was broken by roaring laughter from the leader. The rest of his gang of eight joined in as well.

"Do you honestly think you can take on all of us?" the leader taunted. "We're Huntsmen. Pros, at that."

"From the look of things, you have been targeting those who cannot fight back," the hooded warrior responded. "You're not pros. You're simply scum who haven't gone up against an actual Huntsman in Gods know how long."

"And you're supposed to be a pro?" the leader asked. The hooded warrior made no change in his stoic expression.

"Fight me and find out," he challenged.

"Sounds good to me," the leader smiled. "Kill him!"

The Huntsmen charged at the hooded man. The first one swung a single edged blade at him; the warrior blocked it with his gauntlet and struck her torso twice with his blade, her Aura shimmering from the impacts. Two more rushed towards him, swinging a Dust spear and pair of daggers at the hooded warrior. The hooded man parried each of their attacks and kicked the first one to the ground; the second, he slammed him against the tree and hit him in the head with his gauntlet until his Aura was quickly depleted.

The leader fired his shotgun at him, which he deflected with his gauntlet. The hooded man rushed over to him, knocked his shotgun aside with his blade and dealt a brutal punch to his face, causing his Aura to shimmer from the attack.

"You can't take us," the leader claimed. "We're Huntsmen."

The hooded man said nothing, instead deflecting the bullets of another Huntsman. He rushed over to him, knocked his guns aside and punched him into the air, making him hit a thick tree branch.

"Kill him!" the leader roared as he fired another shotgun shell at the hooded warrior, who deflected the projectile with a swift swipe of his blade.

Two more Huntsmen charged at him, one with a hammer, the other a flail. The hammer user slammed his weapon into the ground, but missed the swordsman as he rushed out of the way. He reappeared from the side and slashed at his arms, neck and legs with a clean string of attacks with his blade, depleting his Aura.

The flail user swung her weapon at the hooded warrior, missing and hitting a tree trunk instead. She activated the Fire Dust in her flail, making it burn with immense flames. She swung once more after catching sight of the hooded warrior, yet again missed.

"He's too fast!" the flail user shouted. Tired of this, the lead Huntsman grabbed the young girl as she and her family were trying to escape.

"Put down your weapons…or I'll kill this girl!" he threatened. There was no response from the hooded man.

"I said-"

"I heard you," the warrior spoke as he appeared beside the leader, grabbing the girl and hitting him firm in the face with his blade, depleting his Aura.

"Get out of here!" the hooded man told the travelers. "I'll take care of them!"

"Be careful!" the young girl called out as they got into the Huntsmen's vehicles containing their supplies and drove off while the hooded warrior combated the Huntsmen.

The last remaining Huntsmen, excluding the leader, tried to stop them, but the hooded man rushed in front of them and finished them out with one last strike of his blade, hitting both of them and depleting their Auras.

"This is over for you!" the leader roared. He pulled out his other shotgun and unleashed a barrage of shotgun shells on the hooded man, again deflecting them with his blade. The hooded man again rushed up to him, followed by a swift punch with his gauntlet to the leader's jaw. He went flying and hit a tree trunk, left in much pain without his Aura to protect him. Before he could stand, the hooded warrior stood in front of him and pointed his blade.

"Go on," he dared. "In the end, all Huntsmen are just killers."

"You're wrong," the man denied as he sheathed his blade. "I've known many Huntsmen who protect people the way they should."

"I was that way too and what did I get?" the leader asked. "Not even a thank you! I'm tired of risking my life for others when they won't do the same-"

"They never said they would!" the hooded man interrupted sharply. "We don't always get the recognition we should get, but that's no excuse to stoop to robbing innocent people."

"Then you're either really devoted or really stupid," the leader responded. "Go on; kill me."

"No," the hooded swordsman refused. "I should for what you did, but you are beaten; killing you serves no purpose. I will say this: leave these people alone…or next time I will not be merciful."

"Boss!" two of the Huntsmen called out as they rushed to help him. One of them prepared to pull a gun on the hooded man, but the leader stopped them.

"Let's get out of here," he groaned as they left. When they were far enough, they looked back, but the hooded man was gone.

"Did he disappear?" one of them asked.

"Let's not wait to find out," the leader insisted. As they ran away, they were ignorant of a Vacuo Golden Eagle flying away, looking for someone.

-0-

"You asked Yang to the dance!?" Math asked with a huge smile on his face, his throat having mostly recovered thanks to his Aura. "I'm happy for you."

"Don't be happy that Ren was the one to teach me dancing," Ruo responded. "He is ridiculously hard on me."

"Ren? Hard on you?" Nasser asked with disbelief in his tone. "Ruo, Ren's probably the calmest person I've met…besides you."

"You'd be surprised," Ruo responded. "He takes dancing VERY seriously."

"I could give you some pointers," Math suggested. "I mean, dancing isn't that hard once you get it down."

"What about you, Nasser?" Robin asked. "You going to the dance?"

"Probably not," he replied. "Vacuo never had these kinds of occasions."

"We're not in Vacuo," Math reminded his teammate.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," the knife user responded. His scroll went off and he took it out of his pocket to see he had received a text from…Octavia. He opened it and it read "Ready for the movie tonight?" Nasser typed and sent the message "Be down there in 15."

"What's going on?" Robin asked Nasser.

"Nothing," he denied. He went to the door, but Robin jumped in front of him.

"You're going to see Octavia, aren't you?" he asked with a smirk.

"That's not your business," Nasser responded. "Now move before I throw you out the window."

"You break it, you buy it," Robin responded with a calm smile.

"What about you, Robin?" Math asked his cousin. "Are you going to the dance?" The archer nodded his head.

"Hopefully, Coco will be back in time," he said. "We were looking forward to this."

Math could see the disappointment in his cousin's eyes. He was taking his relationship with Coco seriously and didn't give her any reason to believe it was just 'love them and leave them'. He genuinely loved the leader of Team CFVY and had been looking forward to enjoying the dance together, but the sudden call had put a dent in their plans.

Robin rarely gave off any type of sad feelings; this was one of those rare times.

"We can just hope for now," Ruo insisted. "I'm sure Coco wouldn't want you to miss out on having fun."

"I know," the red-haired archer responded.

"Well, talk to you guys later," Nasser departed as he opened the door and walked out…luckily, without carrying out his threat of throwing Robin out the window.

The knife user walked down from his dorm to the lounging area where he and Octavia would watch their movie. As he waited for his childhood friend, Nasser prepared some popcorn, chips and bottled lemonade from the fridge.

"Hey," Octavia called out as she entered the room, immediately making Nasser turn to look at her.

"Hey, Octavia," Nasser responded. "Nice to finally be having movie night, huh?"

"You bet," the redhead agreed. "We haven't had time to really do something together."

"Well…we do now," the green-themed member of Team MRRN responded as he put the popcorn and chips on the table between the sofa and TV.

"Just out of curiosity, do you know Team SSSN?" Octavia asked. The name made Nasser's friendly face dissolve into a more sour one.

"Unfortunately," he responded. "Sun Wukong is so annoying that he keeps stealing everything."

"Is that the blue-haired guy?" Octavia asked.

"No," Nasser responded. "Sun's the Monkey Faunus. The blue haired guy's Neptune…why?"

"He keeps flirting with us, even though we make it CLEAR that we want to be left alone," the redhead spoke with disgust. "Is all of Team SSSN like this?"

"Scarlet and Sage are alright," Nasser claimed. "It's mostly just Sun and Neptune who annoy the hell out of us…but let's not focus on them. How've you been?"

"Good," Octavia replied. "Nebula and Gwen seem to like you, but…"

"Dew doesn't?" Nasser finished.

Dew Gayl never showed any emotions towards males other than callousness or arrogance. It was obvious that she didn't like them and seemed to encourage Octavia not to either. Nasser had no idea why she hated guys so much, but he wasn't going to worry about that right now. All he wanted to do was spend time with the beautiful Octavia Ember.

"Man, I can't stress enough how much I've missed you," Nasser spoke as he sat down next to the member of Team NDGO.

"Me neither," Octavia replied. "How's your family been?" The happiness in the knife wielder's eyes left immediately after Octavia asked the question. The redhead immediately saw this and was about to speak, but Nasser spoke first.

"We've been struggling," he admitted. "My mother, sister and I haven't had it easy ever since we moved to Vale."

"What about your brother?" Octavia asked.

A low growl slipped through Nasser's lips. To even think about his brother was enough to ruin any happy moment he was having with anyone. He was the reason why he and his family lived in near poverty for years. He was the reason he and his sister barely saw their mother because she had to work so much.

"My brother…left us," Nasser admitted with reluctance.

"Left?" Octavia asked. "As in…lives in another kingdom?"

"No," Nasser replied. "As in…took our father's inheritance all for himself and left us to live in poverty."

"What?" the redhead gasped. "But…Cassim always seemed like a good person."

"Well, he sure as hell wasn't one when he left us with nothing," Nasser replied, trying to hide bitterness in his tone. He sighed; he didn't want to spend movie night with Octavia angry. What happened had happened; nothing would change that.

"Well, what movie did you bring?" Nasser asked, changing the subject. Octavia smirked.

"Do you remember that movie we tried to watch, but our parents wouldn't let us?" she reminded.

"Too many to remember," Nasser chuckled. "We tried to watch so many movies behind our parents' backs."

"This one," Octavia replied as she pulled out a movie reading "The Destroyer".

"Now I remember," Nasser responded. "We tried to watch it so many times, Mom had to lock it away."

"Shall we?" Octavia asked as she walked over to the Disc Player and inserted the movie. Nasser grabbed the remote, turned up the volume and got comfortable.

The two snacked on the popcorn and chips as they watched the movie. At times, Nasser found himself looking to see Octavia and feeling a warmth in his stomach. During combat class, she was still the same aggressive fighter he knew her as back then. Outside of combat, she was still the same kind and sweet girl he was...

"Hold on, hold on!" Nasser thought internally. "I'm not actually…liking her, am I? Oh man, if I am…I will never hear the end of it from Robin."

"Are you alright?" Octavia asked, snapping the knife user from his thoughts.

"I'm fine," he assured her. "Let's just enjoy the movie."

Without realizing it, Octavia slowly put her head on his shoulder, making the knife wielder blush. He tried using subtle signs to get her to move her head, but she didn't move. After trying every few minutes, he eventually gave up and let her stay.

The movie went on and the two childhood friends became closer and closer. Nasser had placed his head atop Octavia's and his hand was slowly making its way to hers. Suddenly, Octavia's scroll went off; the redhead pulled it out and read the name. Her expression soured as she hung up and put it back.

"You okay?" Nasser asked. The redhead sighed in annoyance.

"It was Dew," she replied. "I wish she wasn't so distrusting towards guys. She keeps acting like you're so…" She exhaled. "She doesn't know you like I do, but she keeps acting like you're nothing but trouble."

"So she's sexist towards guys?" Nasser asked bluntly.

"Well…technically, yes," she confirmed. "We've spoken to her about it, but…" Sound effects from the movie interrupted their conversation, but quieted down enough for them to speak again.

"What about your other teammates?" Nasser asked. "Are they okay with this?"

"Nebula and Gwen trust me," Octavia replied. "Luckily, they're not as judgmental as Dew."

The movie continued on for about another hour before they reached the end credits. Octavia walked forward and took out the Disk before resetting the TV projector to its normal channels.

"Man, I loved that movie!" Nasser smiled. "Now I know why our parents wouldn't let us watch it."

"Yeah," Octavia agreed. "We have a little bit of time left before we need to head back to our dorms. Want to see what else is on?"

"Sure," Nasser complied. Almost immediately, he was greeted by the sight of Lisa Lavender on VNN.

" _We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news. Tonight, chaos on the Vale highway; several dozen people are dead or injured from what looked like a robot chase, which was identified as an Atlesian Paladin that was stolen by the White Fang. The VSU, having been tasked with apprehending Roman Torchwick and the White Fang, recently arrested Team RWBY of Beacon Academy, along with Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias of Team SSSN. They are being held on charges of interfering with a VSU investigation and reckless endangerment of civilian lives. Captain Kijivu left this comment:_

' _Because of their interference in a VSU investigation and their reckless actions, dozens of people are dead or in the hospital. The students of the Academies cannot behave like they can do whatever they want. What happened tonight was a preventable tragedy and I intend to make those responsible pay for it.'_

" _This is Lisa Lavender at VNN and we'll now return to our regular programming."_

Nasser's mouth dropped at what he just heard. He couldn't believe at what he just heard. Without thinking, he took off towards his dorm and slammed it open.

"Nasser?" Math asked. "What's wrong?"

"We need to find Ozpin," Nasser informed.

-0-

"You're absolutely certain of this?" Ozpin questioned.

"I saw it on the news," Nasser informed. "Team RWBY and Sun and Neptune were arrested tonight."

"On what charges?" Ironwood asked.

"Umm…interfering with an investigation and reckless endangerment," Nasser tried to remember. Just then, Ozpin's scroll vibrated. He picked it up and placed it next to his ear.

"Hello?" the Headmaster greeted.

" _Professor Ozpin…could you help us please?"_ Ruby asked, using a scroll belonging to the VSU.

"Mr. Achdarr told me about what happened," Ozpin asked. "Is it true?"

" _Well, if you're talking about the Paladin incident…yes,"_ she admitted.

" _We were just trying to help,"_ Yang said over the scroll.

"We will discuss this later," Ozpin replied. "I'll come get you. Are you being held at VSU Headquarters?"

" _Yes,"_ Ruby confirmed.

"I'll be there," Ozpin assured before hanging up and standing from his seat.

"I thought police didn't have the authority to arrest Huntsmen and Huntresses," Ruo asked.

"For years, that was true," Goodwitch responded. "Because of the training they received and their responsibilities of defending the kingdoms, they were considered above the law. However, many Huntsmen committed crimes and used their authority to get away with it. The crime rate by Huntsmen raised so high that the Councils passed a law fifteen years ago that created special units with the legal authority to arrest Huntsmen when needed."

"The VSU," Math assumed.

"Correct," Ozpin confirmed. "Sadly, even with this law, several Huntsmen and Huntresses still twist their authority to do whatever they want and are allowed to get away with it."

"And it's Huntsmen and Huntresses like them that make the Iron Knights' numbers grow," Robin assumed.

"Sadly true," Ozpin replied. "Now, I must go pick up Team RWBY. You may head back to your dorm now." Ozpin left his office and went down one of the elevators to go to the parking garage and drive to VSU Headquarters.

-0-

Upon returning to their dorm, they tried to get to sleep, but failed. The news of their friends being arrested was hard enough, but the revelation around Huntsmen troubled them even further. For eighty years, Huntsmen were the defenders of the Four Kingdoms. They protected those who couldn't protect themselves while fighting the evil creatures of Grimm.

However, that also meant for sixty-five years, Huntsmen were above the law. They could do whatever they wanted without consequence, without being arrested, and could get off scot free. From the sound of it, they could kill someone for no reason and law enforcement would turn a blind eye to it.

"So this is probably why the Iron Knights were made in the first place," Robin guessed.

"To have so much privilege without responsibility is just something terrible waiting to happen," Ruo replied. "I've met good Huntsmen who use their power for good, but I've also met those who twist it to do whatever they want."

Math was being unusually silent. This revelation hit him the hardest; he had always thought the best of Huntsmen being the defenders of the kingdoms because of his experience with Forest and Glaucus. He knew that there were several crooked Huntsmen in Remnant, but he thought it was because they just decided to adopt the mindset they could do whatever they wanted.

It wasn't that. They were considered above the law for years, meaning they could do whatever they wanted as long as they defended the kingdoms. Math didn't agree with this; he was taught that Huntsmen must be disciplined and understand there are consequences to their actions. To hear this unsettling truth was something that bothered the autistic swordsman.

"Math?" Robin asked. "You're being very quiet over there. You okay?" The swordsman looked down at his feet, thinking back to his encounter with Nachtfel.

" _A devil you created."_

"Are we really capable of this kind of selfishness?" Math asked. "That we're willing to twist our-?"

"We're not them, Math," Robin assured. "We're better than them. We know right from wrong."

"Exactly," Nasser assured. "We'll be the ones to defend the kingdoms, not hurt others for our own petty needs."

"Yeah," Math replied. "I guess…I knew that not all Huntsmen wanted to be protectors, but being above the law, doing whatever you want with no consequence…that's not a life anyone should have."

"Agreed," Nasser replied. "Let's just hope everything turns out okay with Team RWBY."

"Well, we can only hope," Ruo agreed. "It may not be easy to get them out, considering what happened. You heard what Goodwitch said."

" _How could they act so irresponsibly?"_

"But Ozpin seems to be on good terms with the VSU," Robin brought up. "Surely, he can do something to get them out."

"As I said, for now, we can only hope," Ruo responded.

-0-

"We were just trying to help!" Ruby pleaded from inside the cell she was in with her team.

"Well, you didn't," Kijivu responded. "All you did was get people killed tonight!"

"But we didn't kill them, Roman did!" Yang argued.

"Roman killed those people, yes, but what did you do to ensure their safety?" Kijivu questioned. "You led him onto a highway full of innocent people and you did nothing to contain the damage."

"At least we did something while you've barely done anything," Sun argued from his cell next to Team RWBY's. Kijivu walked over to him and looked him in the eye.

"I'd watch your words carefully, Mr. Wukong," he warned. "Just because we're not having high speed chases on open roads or fighting giant robots where everyone can see us doesn't mean we're not doing our job. We're simply considering casualties, unlike you."

No one could argue with that. No one did anything to save the innocent people that were in Roman's path of destruction. Blake and Sun thought they would lose him on the highway, but instead endangered dozens of people that are now dead or injured.

Just then, Lieutenant Gormen arrived with a large scroll with a paused video on it. He handed it to Kijivu, who made sure all of the students could see it.

"Does this look like you had the situation under control?" the Captain asked and played the video. It showed Blake and Sun, jumping from car to car as Roman destroyed the majority of those in his path. It then showed the destruction of the columns during their fight with the Paladin that nearly caused the highway to collapse.

"It doesn't look that way to us," Gormen responded. "So, we'd recommend you choose your words carefully. You're all in enough trouble as it is for the damage you caused tonight."

"Captain!" a VSU Officer called out. "Professor Ozpin is here to speak with you."

"Tell him I'll meet him in my office," Kijivu replied.

"Yes, Captain," the Officer obeyed as he left the cells.

"You're lucky Ozpin came here to help you," Kijivu told the students. "If Ozpin manages to talk me into letting you go, then I'll give this warning: the next time I put you behind bars, you stay behind bars." Captain Kijivu and Lieutenant Gormen walked out, leaving the six students by themselves.

"Man, we really screwed up," Neptune brought up, realizing there was no justifying what they did. Not only did they fail to get information on the White Fang, they also indirectly got people killed.

"Ozpin will get us out of here," Ruby claimed. "Right?"

"Let's hope so," Weiss replied.

The Schnee heiress felt like saying "I told you so" to her teammates, but chose not to. She had warned them that they were not ready for this because they were still students. Even though she eventually jumped on board, she was still doubtful of it…and now her doubts were right. They should've left this to the VSU and not have interfered. By doing so, they may have thrown away their chances of becoming Huntresses.

If Ozpin doesn't convince Kijivu to release them, then all of their hard work will be for nothing.


	9. Punishment

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **Volume 2, Chapter 9: Punishment**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

"Hello, Professor," Kijivu greeted Ozpin as he entered his office.

"Hello, Captain," Ozpin replied. "Thank you for being willing to see me. I guess you know why I'm here."

"If you want me to release those students, you're going to need to do some serious convincing," the VSU Captain informed as he sat down at his desk across from the Beacon Headmaster.

"What are all the charges?" Ozpin questioned.

"For all, interfering with a VSU investigation and reckless endangerment of civilian lives," Kijivu answered. "Additional charges for Mr. Wukong are petty theft, stowing away on a ship, and resisting arrest."

"Do you have surveillance of what happened tonight?" the Headmaster asked. The VSU Captain handed over the same scroll that Gormen had used, allowing Ozpin to watch the video. Needless to say, Team RWBY and Sun and Neptune seemed to handle the situation poorly, which resulted in dozens of casualties and the near destruction of a highway.

"With all due respect, Captain, Roman Torchwick is also responsible for this," Ozpin informed as he handed back the scroll.

"I understand that, but those students are just as responsible because of how reckless and careless they acted," the Captain replied. "It seemed to never cross their minds to consider civilian lives. This is something I cannot simply turn a blind eye to."

"They're only students," Ozpin reminded.

"That doesn't matter," Kijivu responded. "The law says that if any Huntsman, professional or in-training, is arrested, then they can be charged as adults, depending on the crime. Tonight is more than enough to charge them as such."

"I understand and I agree," Ozpin claimed. "They acted very irresponsibly tonight and I will make sure they are disciplined."

"What makes you think YOU will discipline them?" Kijivu asked bluntly. "They are still in VSU custody."

"Then must I do to secure their release?" the Headmaster asked. The VSU Captain raised an eyebrow at the Professor.

"Why would you want me to release them after what happened?" he questioned. "If you ask me, they don't fully understand what they've done. People are dead and all those who were involved need to be held responsible."

"I couldn't agree more," Ozpin replied. "While I admit they are not the most likely to follow rules, I believe they have the potential to be great Huntresses and Huntsmen. This will teach them that they cannot simply do whatever they want; they must use their powers responsibly."

"Teach them?" Kijivu asked, seeming offended by the Headmaster. "This isn't a lesson in humility for them, Oz. This was a tragedy that could've been prevented if they hadn't interfered. Not only that, we've now lost Roman's trail; there's no telling where he could be now."

"Captain, they're good students and, while they did handle it poorly, I must insist that they be released," Ozpin insisted. "I assure you, I will make sure they do not interfere any further."

Kijivu was not convinced. He believed that if Team RWBY and their two companions were released, they would try to interfere again and he feared it would cause another tragedy. His job was to uphold the law, especially when it came to Huntsmen; he felt that if he simply released them, he would be failing to complete his responsibilities as Captain of the VSU.

"Why are you so insistent on releasing them?" the Captain questioned, wondering why Ozpin was so determined to see Team RWBY freed.

"I believe people deserve a second chance," the Headmaster responded. "Let them learn from this. Let this be a lesson in what happens when power is used irresponsibly."

Kijivu sighed in response and was quiet for a full minute, contemplating this decision. If he freed them, he'd need to be sure they truly could not interfere any further. Then, an idea came to mind.

"If you want those students free, then you must follow two conditions," the Captain answered.

"What would they be?" Ozpin asked.

"First, until this investigation is over, they may not leave school grounds unless escorted by a legal guardian or professional Huntsman," Kijivu stated. "If we catch them off school grounds unescorted, then we will arrest them and hold them on the same charges."

"The second?" the Headmaster questioned.

"You are to report every day to confirm they're still on school grounds," he continued. "As for missions and the Vytal Tournament…as long as a Huntsman is accompanying them, I do not have any problem. Other than that, they are to stay on school grounds. Are we agreed?"

Ozpin had hoped he could simply convince Kijivu to release them, but seeing the video made him realize how much trouble they were truly in. He disliked doing this to Team RWBY, but they had to pay the price for breaking the law. The days of Huntsmen being above the law were over and Team RWBY needed to learn that.

"Agreed," Ozpin replied. Kijivu nodded his head and stood up, prompting the Headmaster to follow him. The Captain opened the door, allowing Ozpin to leave first before closing it and looking at one of the VSU Officers.

"Unlock the students' cells," he ordered. The officer replied "Yes, Captain," before walking into the cell aisle and using his badge to unlock the magnetically sealed doors, allowing Team RWBY, Sun and Neptune to walk out to see Professor Ozpin.

"Thanks for getting us out," Yang replied.

"We will speak further at Beacon about tonight," Ozpin sternly informed. "You are not off the hook just yet."

"What about our weapons?" Ruby asked, wanting Crescent Rose back.

"Our officers will escort you back to Beacon," Kijivu informed. "Once you're back, we will return your weapons, but no before."

"What?" Yang asked in defiance. "Why can't we have them back now?"

"Because I said so!" the Captain spoke in a very strict tone. "Unless you'd like us to keep them. We can claim them as VSU property." Yang was about to speak out, but Neptune stopped her.

"No, no, that won't be necessary," he replied. "We'll get our weapons back at Beacon."

"Good," Kijivu responded. "If you'll follow Lieutenant Gormen, he will drive you back to Beacon." While the students followed Gormen to a VSU vehicle, the Captain spoke to Ozpin one last time.

"The next time I put them behind bars, they stay behind bars," he warned.

"I understand," Ozpin responded.

-0-

"Do you have any idea the damage you caused tonight?" Goodwitch scolded at the students in Ozpin's office with the two Headmasters and Alan Kura. "People are dead because of your irresponsibility!"

"But it was that Roman guy who did the actual killing," Sun brought up.

"If you think Torchwick alone is responsible for this, then you are sorely mistaken, Mr. Wukong," Ironwood spoke with controlled anger. "We saw the footage. You did nothing to contain the damage and you didn't consider civilian casualties, otherwise you wouldn't have led him onto that highway."

"General, we thought we'd lost him," Blake responded. "We didn't mean to put their lives in danger."

"Well, sometimes, it doesn't matter if you meant to or not," Goodwitch scolded yet again. "Sometimes, the only thing that matters is that you did it."

"We were just trying to find out more about the White Fang," Ruby informed. "We were trying to find out why they were working with Roman."

"Do you honestly think that the VSU and police are just sitting down, twiddling their thumbs?" Ironwood questioned. "They are more than capable of handling this."

"Then why haven't they already caught him?" Sun asked with defiance in his tone. Both teachers glared at the monkey Faunus, who easily felt the immense pressure of their stares.

"Watch your tone, Mr. Wukong," Goodwitch warned calmly yet sternly. "Need I remind you that the first thing you did when you arrived in Vale was run away from the police and constantly steal wherever you went?" The monkey Faunus chuckled nervously as he tried to think of something to say, but had nothing.

"This is not Vacuo," Goodwitch continued. "This is Vale and it's not a playground where you can do whatever you want. There are rules and laws to follow, so if you won't follow them-"

"Glynda," Ozpin interrupted, indirectly asking her to stop. Goodwitch exhaled as she quieted herself and allowed the Headmaster to speak.

"Unfortunately, they're right," Ozpin agreed. "What you did tonight was not the acts of Huntresses and Huntsmen. They were the acts of irresponsible and reckless people."

"Come on," Yang groaned. "Why are we taking all the blame?"

"People are dead, Ms. Xiao Long," Ironwood barked. "Don't you care at all?"

"Of course I do," Yang defended. "I'm saying that we're not the only ones who did this, yet everyone is acting like we are."

"We understand the situation perfectly, Ms. Xiao Long," Goodwitch replied. "We know that you did not directly kill those people; that falls on Torchwick. What does fall on you is how you handled the situation."

"We had to do this," Blake insisted. "The White Fang is too much of a threat for us to stand and do nothing."

"That's why the VSU is investigating this," Goodwitch reminded the black-themed member of Team RWBY. "We understand how much of a threat the White Fang is to Vale, which is why we are doing everything we can to stop them."

"But the Huntsmen were reassigned to go after those Iron Knights," Blake informed. "The VSU alone may not be enough to handle the White Fang."

"That's not for you to decide, Ms. Belladonna," Goodwitch stated. "The VSU may not be Huntsmen, but they are indeed capable of handling the White Fang."

"They don't know the White Fang!" the Cat Faunus nearly shouted, feeling like she was being ignored.

"That's enough!" Ironwood barked, silencing the Cat Faunus. "Who do you think you are, talking to your professor like that?!"

"General!" Ozpin called out. Ironwood sighed; he knew that Ozpin had to be the one to discipline them, not him. They were his students. He backed off and moved a little to the side, then Ozpin rose from his seat.

"Whether you like it or not, you had no business interfering with this investigation," the Headmaster sternly informed them. "Do you truly not understand the severity of the situation?"

"We do, Professor," Weiss replied, shame in her tone. "We thought we were ready, but we weren't."

"We will be next time," Blake replied, earning her the attention of the four teachers.

"There will not be a 'next time'," Kura informed.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, feeling nervous at the answer she would receive.

"I had to negotiate for your release," the Headmaster informed the six students. "If you're to stay out of those cells, then the deal we made must be honored."

"What deal?" Yang asked.

"The six of you are forbidden from leaving school grounds," Ozpin bluntly replied.

The reactions from the students varied. Ruby's was one of fright and shame, thinking back to how badly they handled the situation. Weiss's and Yang's were disbelief, trying to process the fact that their Headmaster would keep them locked up at Beacon. Blake's was first one of shock, but quickly turned into anger.

"What do you mean 'forbidden from leaving school grounds'?" Yang questioned, rising from her seat.

"Exactly what it means," the Beacon Headmaster responded. "You may not leave Beacon unless you are accompanied by a legal guardian or professional Huntsman. As for missions and the Vytal Festival, you may still do so; other than that, you are to remain on school grounds until this investigation into the White Fang is over."

Blake tried to control the anger boiling inside her. She wanted to track down the White Fang. She wanted to discover why they would work with Roman Torchwick. She wanted to stop them before they made their big move.

No. She didn't want to, she NEEDED to. She had to convince Ozpin to let them continue their investigation.

"You can't just keep us locked up here!" she claimed, rising from her seat.

"This is not a request," Ozpin sternly replied. "If you wish to remain at Beacon, you will comply with this and leave the investigation to the VSU."

"We made terrible mistakes tonight, I know," Blake admitted. "But I promise; we will be more careful next time."

"There is no 'next time'," Kura repeated. "This is a VSU matter now. You already interfered once and you saw what happened. Do you really want to risk it again?"

"You don't understand!" Blake nearly shouted, desperation and frustration in her tone. "We're the only ones who can do this!"

"No, you THINK you're the only ones who can do this," Goodwitch corrected. "Do you honestly think you're ready to handle this after what happened tonight?! Have you learned nothing?!"

"We cannot just sit aside and-"

"If there's a very important reason why you should be the one handling this and not the VSU, then tell us!" Ironwood demanded, growing tired of Blake's attempts to convince them.

Blake froze. She didn't speak. She looked as if she was going to have a panic attack. She knew that if she was going to convince them why she should be allowed to seek out the White Fang, she would have to tell them her darkest secret: she was once a member of the White Fang, even after it turned to terrorism.

She couldn't. She knew Ozpin knew about her Faunus heritage, but she was unsure if he knew of her past in the White Fang. She examined the glances of all four teachers in front of her, especially Ozpin. All of them were focused on her, waiting for her answer, but she couldn't give it. Unable to give an acceptable answer, she sat down.

"Then do not speak out of line again, Ms. Belladonna," Goodwitch warned. She was a little surprised by how Blake was acting. She was usually the quiet, introverted member of Team RWBY; tonight, she was the one being the most defiant, though the hearing of the punishment made her defiance reach its peak.

"We're doing this for your own safety," Ozpin assured. "Kijivu warned you that if he arrests you again, I will not be able to get you out. This deal is the only reason the six of you were able to leave tonight."

There was silence for a few moments. All the students were processing everything, from being scolded by Goodwitch to Blake's defiant outburst. None of them wanted to be stuck at Beacon, but at this point, they didn't have a choice; it was either they comply or they go back to jail.

"We understand, Professor Ozpin," Weiss replied.

"Good," Goodwitch responded. "We didn't want this. The six of you all have potential to be great warriors, but the days of us being above the law have to end. We must use our power responsibly and with caution. Remember that."

"Thank you, Glynda," Ozpin spoke. "You may return to your dorms now." The six students got up, mixed feelings of regret, anger and sadness present in their scowls and strolled towards the elevators. They felt exactly as they looked: defeated.

"I wish it hadn't come to this," Ozpin sighed as the elevator door closed. "They're good-hearted children; I didn't want to do this to them."

"They knew what they were doing," Goodwitch reminded. "They used their abilities irresponsibly, so the consequences had to follow."

"Still," Ozpin replied. "I wish I didn't have to do this to them."

-0-

Morning rolled around. All the members of Team MRRN were grateful they didn't have classes until the afternoon since they had a lot of trouble sleeping last night. Even after Team RWBY had come back, sleep still seemed beyond their grasp. Just when they had it, they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

Math yawned heavily as he dragged himself out of his bed and strolled over to the door. He opened it to see none other than his beautiful girlfriend, Pyrrha, wearing her usual bright smile.

"Hello~" she greeted in a sing song tone. Her smile drooped after examining the state her boyfriend was in and gently reached out to caress his cheek.

"Darling, you look so tired," she pointed out. "What's wrong?"

"Had trouble sleeping last night," Math answered.

"Why?" Pyrrha asked with concern in her tone.

"Team RWBY was arrested last night," the swordsman answered. Pyrrha's eyes widened and covered her mouth to prevent any gasps from leaving her lips. She knew Team RWBY wasn't known for obeying rules, but she never suspected they'd get arrested.

"What for?" she asked after recovering from the shock.

"You'll have to ask them," the swordsman answered. "We heard them coming back last night and they were not happy at all. They may need space for a little while."

"Alright," the redhead replied. "Well, I came by to see if you'd like to join us for breakfast."

"We're really tired, Pyrrha," Math responded. "Maybe another day?"

Pyrrha didn't want to hear that. She wanted to spend some time with her boyfriend now since she had a full schedule of classes today, meaning there would be no time for them to hang out later.

But obviously, the news of Team RWBY's arrest had kept them up all night and they needed their sleep.

"Oh…of course," she replied, some disappointment in her tone as she looked down. "Maybe another day." Math could hear the disappointment in Pyrrha's tone and sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry, Pyrrha," he apologized. "We just had a hard time getting to sleep last night."

"No, no, I understand," the redhead assured. "Everyone needs their sleep."

"We'll see about joining up tomorrow, okay?" Math offered.

"Okay," Pyrrha replied. The swordsman smiled, leaned forward and pecked his girlfriend's lips, making her blush.

"Are you going to blush every time I kiss you?" Math teased.

"You blush every time I snuggle up to you," Pyrrha shot back playfully.

"Fair point," the swordsman conceded. Just then, the door to RWBY's dorm opened loudly and out came Blake, a look of absolute anger and frustration in her scowl.

"Are you okay, Blake?" Pyrrha asked.

"Not in the mood," she bluntly replied, walking past them. The other members of Team RWBY came out as well, all with a mix of regret, sadness and anger present on their faces.

"What happened?" the redhead asked. "It isn't like you to wake up looking so…angry."

"We screwed up big time last night," Yang admitted. "We got arrested by the VSU."

"Math told me that," the Amazon informed. "What now?"

"Now we're not allowed to leave school grounds until the investigation into the White Fang is over," Weiss answered. "But it's what we deserve."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Pyrrha apologized warmly.

"Don't be," the Schnee heiress responded. "We knew what we were doing."

"What about Blake?" Math asked, mostly awake now.

"She's not liking it…at all," Ruby answered. "She tried to convince Ozpin not to do this, but he said he had to agree to this in order to release us from jail."

"Well, we're going to the cafeteria to get breakfast," Yang informed before she and her teammates walked away.

"Okay," Ruby replied. The three present members of Team RWBY walked down the hallway in the direction that would lead them to the cafeteria.

"Are you sure about breakfast, Math?" Pyrrha offered one last time. The swordsman pulled out his scroll and checked the time, reading 9:34. He hated sleeping throughout the morning…plus, he was pretty much awake now.

What wasn't helping was that Pyrrha was using his weakness on him: Puppy Eyes. Who taught her to do it so well, he had no idea.

"Pyrrha, no…no," Math told her, but she continued to do her Puppy Eyes. He kept on replying negatively until he started chuckling. This reminded him of one of the reasons why he fell in love with Pyrrha: the playful and somewhat mischievous side she showed around him.

"Give me a few minutes and I'll meet up with you," he finally gave in. Pyrrha smiled brightly in response to Math's answer.

"Thank you," she thanked as Math reciprocated the smile.

"You go on ahead," he insisted. "I'll meet up with you." The redhead pecked his lips and walked down the hallway to the lounging area where Ren was probably preparing breakfast as he often does for his team.

"Yang and Ruby were right," Pyrrha admitted to herself. "Puppy Eyes is very effective."

-0-

Blake hated this. She knew she made terrible mistakes last night, but she believed she was the only one who could discover the connection between Roman and the White Fang. She needed to find out what the White Fang was planning. She couldn't just sit around and do nothing except just sit at the library table she was at, reading her notes on the White Fang.

Unfortunately, she didn't have a choice. Ozpin forbade them from leaving school grounds except if accompanied by a legal guardian or professional Huntsman, most likely to ensure they did not try to interfere in the investigation. They would still be able to go on missions, but they wouldn't happen until after the dance, which was still two weeks away. She didn't have time to wait around and do nothing while the White Fang carried out their plan.

"Hey, Blake," Yang warmly greeted as she sat across from her, though she didn't bother to respond.

"Come on, Blake," the blonde brawler said as she reached to touch Blake's shoulder, but she coldly turned away from her.

"I know you're mad about this and so am I, but you heard what Ozpin said."

"How are you okay with this?" Blake asked in disbelief. "The White Fang is out there, planning to attack and we're just stuck here."

"I hate this too," Yang admitted. "I hate that we're being kept here, but we don't have a choice. If we try to leave Beacon and we're caught, we'll either get expelled or go to jail."

"I don't care," Blake responded. "We cannot just sit around and wait for their plan to happen. Something has to be done."

"I want to see Torchwick behind bars too, Blake, but I don't want to get expelled for it," Yang shot back, her voice starting to rise. "Like it or not, we have to drop this for now." Blake's angry scowl twisted to one of apathy.

"So you care more about being a student than you care about stopping Roman?" she coldly asked. Yang's irises turned red as she rose from her seat and leaned on the table.

"Don't you dare do that to me," she snarled. "I spent years training to become a Huntress. It means everything to me. You're going to get mad at me for not being willing to throw away what matters to me?"

"The only thing that matters is stopping Torchwick," Blake shot back.

"Going after him at the cost of getting expelled or arrested is a huge mistake," Yang told her teammate.

"No," Blake replied. "My only mistake was asking for your help."

"Hey!" Yang barked, nearly scaring the Faunus. "None of this would've happened if you had just listened to us, but you chose not to! We thought we were ready, but we weren't! People are dead and it's partially because of us!"

"If you want to sit back and do nothing, then fine!" the Cat Faunus growled. "But I won't stand by and let them have their way just because I'm scared of being expelled!"

Yang's eyes returned to their natural lilac color. She was shocked by how Blake was acting. She was so obsessed with finding the White Fang that it was turning her into someone she wasn't. She had never been one to raise her voice in anger except on few occasions, such as her fight with Weiss before she ran off. She had never been one to judge others for not being willing to help her.

Now, all of a sudden, Blake was almost an entirely different person. Ever since Ozpin got them out, she had been the most defiant, the most willing to argue with the professors and the one who wouldn't accept things as they were.

"Do you have any idea what you sound like?" Yang asked her teammate.

"I told you, I don't care," Blake replied harshly. "If you're not going to help me, then you're just in my way." Blake walked off, angered at her teammate for not being willing to help continue their search.

Yang shook her head as she sat down and buried her face in her hands. She knew Blake had to stop this. If she went down this path, then she would throw away everything she worked for because she was letting her obsession control her. She needed to stop her teammate before it was too late.

She knew too well what happens when obsession takes over. She knew it too well and she knew Blake was doing the same thing.

"I have to stop her," she said to herself.


	10. Fight Between Friends

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **VOLUME 2, CHAPTER 10: Fight Between Friends**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

"Go, Pyrrha, go!" Math cheered as he watched his girlfriend fight Team CRDL. They were barely able to land a single hit on her as she fought against all four of them. Plus, it was about time the team of bullies learned a lesson in humility.

"Yeah, you go, Pyrrha!" Ruby cheered as Pyrrha knocked out Sky Lark.

"It's about time someone taught those pricks a lesson," Nasser told his teammates. "I just wish it was us."

Pyrrha fell under a barrage of attacks by Dove and Russel, but she managed to parry all of their attacks before managing to get away and fire several shots at Cardin, deflecting them with his mace. Math had to hand it to Cardin; he may've been an asshole, but he was incredibly skilled with that weapon.

Pyrrha then took out Russel with a wide swipe of her spear, leaving only Cardin and Dove standing. The swordsman fired several shots at the Amazon, who blocked them before making him flip back. To everyone's shock, Cardin swung his mace and took out Dove, leaving him alone with Pyrrha.

"Did he just take out his own teammate?!" Math gasped in disbelief. Cardin unleashed an explosion with his mace; Pyrrha dodged it and mercilessly took out the leader of Team CRDL. Just like that, Pyrrha bested the entire team of bullies that once tormented her team leader.

"Whoo!" Math cheered. "Pyrrha, you're awesome!" His girlfriend could easily hear his cheers and comments, making her blush heavily.

"Well done, Ms. Nikos," Goodwitch congratulated. "You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament."

"Thank you, Professor," she replied.

"Alright, students, we have time for one more match," Goodwitch announced "Any volunteers?" Even though a few of the students raised their hands, the combat teacher was immediately focused on Blake Belladonna. Ever since Team RWBY received their punishment for the Paladin incident, she had become much more distant and grouchy than usual. This made her suspicious of the student.

"Ms. Belladonna?" she called, Blake reacting by immediately shutting her book close. She didn't want Goodwitch's attention, but it was too late.

"You've been docile for the past two weeks," she pointed out. "Why don't you-?"

"I'll do it," a new student offered. Team MRRN looked past Team RWBY to see a young man with silver-gray hair, a semi-muscular build and appeared to be a martial artist.

"Who's that?" Math asked.

"Mercury Black," Ruo answered. "He's a transfer from Haven."

"Mercury, is it?" Goodwitch asked for confirmation. "Very well, then. Let us find you an opponent."

"Actually, I already know who I want to fight," Mercury replied. "I want to fight…her." He pointed at Pyrrha, to everyone's shock.

"What!?" Math barked, rising from his seat. Before he could say another word, Ruo grabbed his shoulder and sat him back down.

"Someone's a little touchy," the martial artist insulted, making Math narrow his eyes at him.

"That's enough," Goodwitch demanded. "Ms. Nikos just finished a match. I recommend you choose another partner."

"Then I'll volunteer," Math offered.

"No, no, it's okay," Pyrrha assured her boyfriend. She knew he was just being protective, which she appreciated, but this was no time for him to act on impulse.

"I accept your challenge," the Amazon answered Mercury.

Mercury went to the locker room, where he equipped his gun greaves and walked into the arena.

Math hated the condescending look Mercury was giving Pyrrha. He smirked as he approached the woman he loved, making the swordsman clench his fist.

"What was that about?" Ruo asked his team leader. "You know she can take him."

"I know," Math whispered. "It's just-"

The conversation stopped as soon as Mercury landed a kick on Pyrrha's shield, but she immediately counterattacked, making him fall and backflip from the fight for relief.

As the fight continued, Mercury seemed to be doing a good job holding his own against her, something very students could do at Beacon. His merciless kicking attacks made her on the defensive, something that surprised Mathdon along with something else.

"Am I the only one thinking he's not giving it his all?" the swordsman asked, remembering his own matches against Pyrrha. Every time he fought her, he always had to be on his guard, especially due to her Polarity. Mercury, on the other hand, didn't seem that interested in fighting her.

"No, you're not, Math," Ruo replied. Pyrrha knocked Mercury's boot away before he kicked at her and bounced off her shield. She charged at him, but what happened next was unexpected.

"I forfeit," Mercury told Goodwitch.

Math's eyes widened at what just happened. First, he had the gall to act so arrogant towards her and then forfeited without giving a real match.

"Did he just dis her!?" he angrily asked his teammates. As Pyrrha stopped her charge, she looked over at Mercury.

"What's the point?" he asked with a shrug. "You're a world famous fighter. We're obviously leagues apart." Math caught the expression on Pyrrha's face, sharing the same one as him.

"Very well," Goodwitch spoke with disappointment in her tone. "Pyrrha Nikos wins. Next time, think harder before you choose an opponent, Mr. Black."

"I'll be sure to do that," he smugly answered.

"Smug jackass," Nasser mumbled. The bell rang, signaling the end of class.

"Remember, the dance is this weekend," Goodwitch reminded. "However, your missions start on Monday. I will not accept any excuses."

As everyone left, Ruo immediately noticed Blake was falling behind, having her eyes glued to the book she was holding. At this point, all of them were worried about Blake.

Her grades had been suffering badly. She was barely eating or sleeping. She didn't interact with anyone, even her own teammates despite their attempts to speak with her. All she cared about was finding information on Torchwick and the White Fang, which she had to do subtly since she was stuck on campus.

"Hey, Blake," Sun called out, approaching her. "You doing okay?"

"I'm fine," she answered, trying to be somewhat polite.

"I heard there's this dance coming up," the monkey Faunus replied. "Sounds kind of lame but…you and me, not so lame, huh?" Blake and her friends raised their eyebrows in confusion to Sun's statement.

"What?" Blake asked.

"The dance this weekend," Sun repeated. "Want to go or what?"

"Sun wanting to go to the dance?" Nasser whispered to his teammates. "I didn't think he'd be interested in something like that."

"I think he's more interested in going with Blake~" Yang replied.

"I don't have time for a stupid dance," Blake replied. "I thought you of all people would get that." She then walked away.

"That was uncalled for!" Math called to Blake. She stopped for a moment before continuing to walk away.

"Man, she's really not herself at all," Ruo pointed out. "She can't keep going on like this."

"She won't listen to us," Weiss replied. "She won't accept that she has to let this go."

"Every time we try to tell her that, she just gets mad," Ruby informed.

"But we need to get her to listen," Yang explained. "She can't go on like this, especially since we can't leave."

"Has she tried to leave?" Math asked.

"Luckily, she hasn't tried it yet," Yang answered. "But I'm getting a feeling she will soon."

"I hope not," Ruby replied.

-0-

"Why would Mercury fight you and then just forfeit?" Math asked his girlfriend as they were having lunch. "To me, it doesn't make sense."

"I felt something was off," Pyrrha replied. "It's like he was barely trying. It's like he wasn't trying to win."

"Then he acted all smug about it," the swordsman grumbled. "But that's not the only thing on my mind."

"What else?" Pyrrha asked. "Is it also about Team RWBY?"

"No, not that," Math replied. "I mean, I'm worried about them, but I'm also worried about the Iron Knights."

"Those men you fought at the Vytal Committee?" Pyrrha asked for confirmation.

"Yeah," he answered. "Those men were trained to fight and kill Huntsmen. At first, I thought they were just blaming all the bad stuff on them. But after what Ozpin told me…" He stopped.

"Math?" Pyrrha asked, reaching out to hold his hand.

"Pyrrha, can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Math sighed, remembering what Ozpin had told him the night Team RWBY had been arrested.

"Do you think Huntsmen should be above the law?" Pyrrha's comforting scowl changed to a solemn and stern one.

"No, I don't," she answered firmly. "We're entrusted to become the defenders of the kingdoms. We are the strongest fighters in Remnant, but it doesn't mean we should be allowed to abuse our power. I think it means we have to be more responsible with it. Why do you ask?"

"When we told Ozpin that Team RWBY had been arrested, he told us that Huntsmen used to be above the law," Math answered. "When I fought Nachtfel at the Vytal Committee and I asked him who he was, he said 'a devil you created'. The law that created the VSU to put the Huntsmen in check was passed fifteen years ago, so I wonder…what did the Huntsmen do to him that would make him want to wipe them out?"

"Whatever happened to him must've been horrible enough to spearhead a crusade against them," Pyrrha assumed. "Unless it's all a lie for something else."

"My gut's telling me it's true," Math admitted. "It's…to be honest, it bothers me. Huntsmen being above the law because when I think of that, I think of them being able to do whatever they want and they're not held accountable for it."

"It bothers me too," Pyrrha agreed. "When I was training back home, my father told me that a Huntress has to be disciplined, responsible and brave. He always told me 'it is wrong to seek power just to abuse it'."

"Your dad sounds like he's a good man," Math complimented.

"Yes…he was," Pyrrha replied, looking down. Math's eyes widened at what he just said.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring him up if it's too painful," he apologized to her.

"No, no, it's okay," she responded. "You didn't know. Yes, he was a good father. What about yours?" Math sighed; he hadn't told Pyrrha about his father, Donovan, who had emotionally and verbally abused him before he left the family.

"The same cannot be said about my dad," he confessed.

"Why not?" Pyrrha asked. Math exhaled as he prepared to explain about his absent parent.

"My dad, Donovan, didn't understand my condition. When the first methods he tried to help me didn't work, he started becoming…abusive."

"Abusive?" Pyrrha gasped. "Did he hit you?"

"No, not like that," Math denied. "He'd shout at me, get angry at me, not bother to control his temper, call me names…my mother wouldn't stand for it and told him he had to stop, but all he did was deflect the blame. He'd say stuff like 'I'm doing what I can to help him, but he won't listen!'. My mom called him out on it, but…again, he refused to listen and acted like everyone was at fault but him."

"So your father abused your family and then blamed them for his faults?" the redhead asked with contempt in her tone. "What did he do?"

"He decided he didn't need this, filed for divorce and left," Math answered. "Whenever he tried to 'contact' us in the past, he would only do it by text or email. If we tried to call him, it'd always go straight to voicemail. Coward."

"I'm sorry, Math," Pyrrha apologized sympathetically. "So…is that why you look up to Forest and Glaucus as father figures?"

"Well, more towards Forest, but I don't mean any disrespect towards Glaucus," the swordsman explained. "But…if you don't mind me asking, how did your father die?"

"He got sick," Pyrrha replied. "He was diagnosed with cancer and we couldn't do anything about it." She looked down, hiding her eyes from her boyfriend. He saw a tear fall onto the table, prompting him to impulsively slide across the table and sit next to her while holding her.

"He died when I was 14," Pyrrha revealed, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I stayed at home for a week just to deal with it."

"I'm sorry, Pyrrha," Math comforted as he held her close.

"I'm sorry, Math," she apologized after realizing her tears were falling onto his shirt.

"It's fine," her boyfriend assured.

He knew too well the pain of losing someone who was supposed to love him, but in his own way. Pyrrha lost her father because he was struck with a terminal illness while Math's ran away and only ever contacted him to bash him. When he was certain that Pyrrha was okay, she slowly looked up at him as she sat back up.

"Sorry," she apologized, referring to the small tears that fell onto his shirt.

"Don't worry about it," the swordsman replied. "Remember, we have the dance coming up. You looking forward to it?"

"I am," she replied. "I was never able to go to any of those kinds of occasions with someone."

"Well, now you can," Math assured. Pyrrha smiled brightly as she hugged her boyfriend.

-0-

"I'm sorry, guys," Blake whispered to herself as she went down to the locker room to get Gambol Shroud. "I have to do this, no matter the risk."

Once she had her weapon, she made her way to the top of the roof of one of the dorm buildings. She then looked around, trying to find a safe and subtle way out of Beacon.

The transports had been informed of Blake not being allowed to leave, so going to the docks wasn't an option. She could try going through the Forever Fall forest, but it would take too long and she'd probably wouldn't be able to make it back by morning.

There was only one safe option: going through the parking garage then making her way to the city from there. She'd have to move quickly to avoid being caught by any of her friends, not just out of fear of being busted, but so she wouldn't hear them trying to stop her.

"I helped the White Fang," she spoke. "I helped destroy lives. I have to do this…for all the crimes I committed. If I have to face expulsion or arrest, then so be it."  
She snuck her way to the elevator, making sure the entire time that no one was following her. However, upon getting there, she saw that the elevator was already in use.

"I'll have to take the stairs," Blake decided to avoid drawing attention. She looked around for the entrance to the stairs and opened it upon finding it. When she looked down, her eyes widened at the vast number of stairs.

"You've got to be kidding me," she groaned. Instead of walking the stairs, she instead leapt off the rails to save time, which she did greatly thanks to her natural agility. What would've taken minutes of walking only took one of leaping off railings to reach the entrance to the parking garage.

She entered and, much to her disdain, recognized that the exit that would lead to Vale was on the other side of where she was. But she didn't care; she moved from one hiding spot to another to make sure no one saw her.

It took longer than she'd hope, but the exit was finally in sight. It was only a little further before she'd be on her way to stopping Torchwick.

"Don't do this, Blake," a voice told the Faunus, nearly making her jump. She turned around to see Yang leaning on Bumblebee, a stern and serious look on her scowl. After managing to recover from the shock, Blake looked at her teammate dead in the eye.

"I need to do this," she told Yang. "I will not stand aside and do nothing while lives are at stake."

"Not caring about lives is how we ended up confined here in the first place," Yang reminded her teammate. "Are you forgetting what we did that night?"

"It wasn't our fault," Blake denied, not wanting to be reminded of the damage they caused. "Roman was the one who killed those people, not us."

"But we did nothing to contain the damage," Yang harshly reminded Blake. "We didn't help those people! It took me a while to realize just how badly we screwed up, but now I understand."

"You don't understand at all," Blake replied angrily. "I have to do this."

"Says who?" Yang argued.

"Says me," the Faunus answered. "I helped destroy innocent lives during my time in the White Fang. I did nothing to stop their terrorism. If I don't do something to stop their plans now, then what am I?"

"You'll be someone who learns from their mistakes," Yang replied. "Our mistake was not thinking it through that night. We thought we were ready, but we weren't. Next time, we may be, but not if we destroy ourselves."

"You don't understand!" Blake claimed.

"No, you don't understand!" Yang shouted, her eyes turning red. "I know perfectly well what happens when you let an obsession control you. I know because it nearly got Ruby and I killed!"

Blake stopped. She examined her teammate, who was having enough of her irrational and extremely stubborn behavior. Now it looked like her obsession with the White Fang had pushed her far enough and she had it.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked in a much gentler tone than she had been using for the past two weeks.

"My real mother, Raven, left when I was born," Yang explained. "At first, I didn't' know because I had another mom at the time, Summer, who disappeared when I was young. Only after finding a picture of her did I find out."

"So…you lost both of your moms?" Blake asked.

"Yes," Yang answered. "After I found a clue I thought would lead me to her, I put Ruby in a wagon and went on my way. When we got there, I was too tired to call for help when Grimm attacked us. I thought I had gotten us killed, but my Uncle Qrow saved us."

There was no noise for a few moments. Blake processed the feeling of sympathy for her teammate and Ruby.

"My stubbornness nearly got us killed that night," Yang concluded. "I let my desire to find the truth cloud my judgment and I put myself and Ruby in danger because of it, just like you're letting this whole Torchwick thing change you."

"I'm sorry for what happened, Yang, but I'm not a child," Blake responded. "You cannot tell me to stop when-"

"I'm not telling you to," the blonde brawler responded. "I haven't stopped looking for my mother. To this day, I still want answers. I want to know why she left me. But I won't let that search control me. If we destroy ourselves in the process, then what good are we?"

"I…" Blake started, but couldn't find the right words. "I have to do this! I need to!"

"And we'll have our chance," Yang told the Faunus. "Missions are next Monday. We can find a mission leading to the southeast and investigate, but you won't be able to if you're stuck behind bars or found dead in an alleyway or too tired to fight."

"I'm the only one who can do this!" the Cat Faunus shouted. "If you won't help me, then you're just in my way!" Blake walked towards the exit, but Yang leapt in front of her.

"I won't let you get yourself killed because you won't listen to reason," Yang snarled. "For now, we have to let this go!"

"I'm the only one who can do this!" Blake repeated.

"No, you're not!" Yang argued.

"Yes, I am!"

"No, you're not!

"Yes. I. Am!"

"NO. YOU'RE NOT!" Yang finally had enough and activated Ember Celica before getting into a fighting stance. Blake's angry scowl quickly turned into one of worry and fright.

"Yang?" she asked somewhat weakly.

"If you won't listen, then I'll make you," Yang growled. "You're my best friend, Blake, but if I have to do this to get you to listen, then I'll do it. If you want to get to Roman, you'll have to go through me." Blake shook her head.

"No," she refused. "I will not fight you."

"Well, I'm not giving you a choice," Yang replied. "Either you come back to the dorm with me or you fight me to get to Torchwick." Blake took a few steps from Yang, trying to create some distance between them.

"I don't want to fight you," the Faunus replied.

"Neither do I," Yang responded in a more gentle tone. "But I won't let you destroy yourself like I almost did."

Blake sighed heavily. She didn't want to fight her partner and teammate, but the brawler made it perfectly clear that she would not move if she intended to go after Torchwick. She either had to give up her search or fight Yang. Much to her dislike, she unsheathed Gambol Shroud.

"I'm sorry, Yang," Blake apologized before rushing to her.

As Yang suspected, her attacks were weak and sloppy due to her lack of strength. She easily deflected every attack the Faunus threw at her, allowing her easy opportunities to counterattack.

Blake unleashed a barrage of katana strikes on Yang, but soon her lack of strength caught up with her as her attacks became slower and easier to block.

"Just move, Yang!" Blake begged out of not wanting to fight her friend and realizing she was much weaker than she thought.

"No," Yang refused.

Blake groaned in frustration before grabbing the scabbard of Gambol Shroud and unleashing a flurry of attacks on Yang, which she easily dodged or block with her gauntlets. She had to stop Torchwick, no matter what.

"Is this really the price you're willing to pay to stop Torchwick?" Yang asked Blake after knocking her to the floor. "You really want to throw away all the friends you made, all the laughs you had, and your future just so you can stop the bad guy!?"

"No, I don't!" Blake finally admitted, letting her weapons drop to the ground. "I did nothing while the White Fang destroyed lives. I came here to Beacon to make up for what I've done. I…" She couldn't continue, instead falling to her knees and sniffling.

"I want to make this world a better place," Blake continued. "I didn't want to be the one to hurt people, I wanted to be the one to help them." Two arms wrapped around her, obviously belonging to Yang.

"You will be," she assured her teammate. "But not if you go down this road. We will have an opportunity to stop Torchwick, I promise. So please…stop doing this to yourself." Blake returned the embrace.

She finally understood. Her obsession with stopping the White Fang was destroying her. She was willing to sacrifice friendship, her future and even her health for the sake of stopping Torchwick. Yang was not the one to start the fight, Blake was; it horrified her to know how far she had been willing to go.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm sorry for everything. For ignoring everyone, for being so-"

"It's okay," Yang interrupted before breaking away from her. The blonde brawler grabbed Gambol Shroud, sheathed it and handed it to Blake.

"You need to take it easy," she insisted. "Have fun this weekend. I'll make sure to save you a dance." Blake smiled as she took Gambol Shroud and placed it on her back.

"Let's head back," Yang suggested. The Cat Faunus nodded her head as the two walked over to the elevator and pressed the button.

"Aren't you going with Ruo?" Blake asked.

"I am, but I'll make sure to let him know I saved you a dance," Yang assured.


	11. The Dance (Pt 1)

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **Volume 2, Chapter 11: The Dance (Pt 1)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

"I hate wearing this," Nasser complained as he put on his tux. "We never had to worry about these kinds of things in Vacuo."

"I hate wearing it too, but it's a special occasion," Math reminded his teammate as he fixed his bowtie.

"Well, not all of us are going with girlfriends, Math," Nasser replied. "It'll probably be boring."

"No argument there," the swordsman agreed. "Well, except for the dancing." He then turned to his cousin, who looked pretty solemn for the big night. He knew immediately what it meant: Coco hadn't made it back.

"Sorry, man," Math told Robin, who quickly put on a cocky smile to hide his hurt feelings.

"It's fine," he assured. "I'll still have fun with my friends there."

"Shouldn't you be going to meet Pyrrha?" Ruo asked his team leader.

"I'll be heading out in several minutes to go with her to the dance," the leader of MRRN answered. "What about you? Aren't you going to meet up with Yang?"

"We talked about it and she wants to meet up at the dance," the White Tiger informed. "She'll be at the front podium for a while to make sure everyone's arrived. Plus, she saved a dance for Blake."

"So Blake's going?" Robin asked.

"Yes," Ruo confirmed. "Yang didn't tell me the whole story, but she managed to convince Blake."

"Well, that's good," Math responded. Just then, his scroll went off. He took it out of his pocket, read the name 'Pyrrha Nikos' and answered it.

"Hey, beautiful," Math answered. "You're ready? Okay, I'll come over." He hung up.

"That's my cue." Mathdon walked out of the dorm and walked down the hallway to Team JNPR's dorm. He knocked three times before hearing Pyrrha reply "Coming" in a sing song tone. Math chuckled at how playful and open his girlfriend had become now.

The door opened to show Pyrrha in a bareback red dress, black heels, and red lipstick.

"Wow, you look amazing, Pyrrha," Math complimented.

"Thank you," she replied. "You look pretty sharp yourself."

"I do my best," the swordsman responded. He looked past her to see the rest of her teammates getting ready. Jaune was putting on his bowtie, Ren was tying his hair into a ponytail and Nora was picking out her heels for the night.

"Hey, guys," Math called out.

"Hey," Jaune replied. "You ready to take Pyrrha to the dance?"

"I am," Math responded with a smile. "What about you, Jaune? Did you get a date?"

"Well…" Jaune hesitantly started to admit. "I asked Weiss and she shot me down. Big surprise there, huh?"

"One day," Math suggested, hoping to comfort Jaune. "You know how she is. She just needs time to…melt." Everyone looked at Math with a very questioning look on their face.

"Melt?" Nora asked.

"I couldn't think of anything better," Math admitted. "But who knows? Maybe she's going to the dance alone."

"She already asked Neptune," Jaune solemnly informed.

"Neptune?" Math questioned. "I don't see them hanging out that much. Why would she ask him?"

"Don't know," Jaune replied. "But if she wants to go with Neptune, then fine."

"Okay. So, Pyrrha, you ready to go to the dance?"

"I am." Pyrrha walked out of the dorm, closing the door behind her and put her hands on Math's arm.

"I'm so excited!" the redhead squealed. "I've been wanting to go to these occasions with someone for a long time."

"I'm excited too," Math replied. After walking out of the dorm building, Pyrrha rested her head on Math's shoulder, allowing him to guide her as they walked to the dance.

Upon arriving, he saw Yang at the front podium. Behind her, many people were already slow dancing, some were sitting at the tables, and others were just trying to hit on each other.

"Aww, you two look so cute together~" Yang cooed.

"Thanks, Yang," Pyrrha replied. "You managed to convince Blake to come?"

"Sure did," the blonde brawler answered. "She'll be coming soon."

"Sounds good," Math spoke. "I hope you and Ruo have a good dance too. Ren is sure to have taught him well."

"It sounded like it was a nightmare for him," Yang chuckled.

"Ren surprisingly takes dancing VERY seriously," Pyrrha informed. "He becomes like a drill sergeant rather than his usual calm self." Yang and Mathdon laughed at the details of Ren's complete change of character when it came to dancing.

"Well, enjoy your night, Yang," Math departed before he and Pyrrha walked into the main area.

"Math!" a voice called out, belonging to Imamu. He approached him and the two bro hugged.

"Did you just get here?" he asked.

"Yeah," Math confirmed. "Where's Safirlas? Is she coming?"

"She's taking her dear sweet time," Imamu answered. "She was having so much trouble choosing between dresses and heels." Math sighed at this.

"My sister is always indecisive about the small things," he groaned. "So she'll be showing up soon?"

"Yeah, I'm sure of it," the member of Team IRIS assured. "You're looking sharp by the way."

"You too," the swordsman reciprocated.

"Thank you, because I've got some gorgeous young women to woo." He walked away from Math and approached a pair of 3rd years with a charming smile.

"Oh, geez, dude," Math chuckled. "Well, I'd say we should try and save our friends a table."

"Ok," Pyrrha agreed.

-0-

Ruo, Robin and Nasser had arrived a few minutes after Math did. Upon seeing Yang at the front desk in a beautiful white dress and pumps, the Faunus just stared at her.

"Wow, Yang," he complimented. "You look so beautiful."

"Aww, thanks," Yang replied. "When everyone's arrived, I'll be available to dance. Just remember; I owe Blake a dance first."

"I understand," the White Tiger assured. Then he and his two present teammates walked into the main area, where it looked like the dance was already in full swing.

"Guys!" Math called out as he approached Pyrrha with two cups of punch. "We saved you a table." The three guys then walked over to him and sat down, claiming each of the seats.

"Have the others arrived?" Ruo asked.

"Weiss and Ruby are already here," Pyrrha informed as she took a sip. "My teammates arrived a few moments ago, but Blake-"

"Is right there," Nasser interrupted as he pointed towards the entrance. "And she came with Sun. Joy."

"Why do you dislike Sun so much?" Pyrrha questioned the knife user.

"Because he's such a kleptomaniac," Nasser informed. "He keeps taking my stuff."

"Our stuff," Math corrected.

"Whatever," Nasser dismissed.

"Oh, Nasser," Robin called out. "Guess who else is here~?" He pointed to the entrance and through the doors came Team NGDO. Octavia was wearing a bright blue dress that was off the shoulder and hugged her figure perfectly, had a skirt that reached mid-thigh, and blue heels.

Instead of her seeing Nasser first, Dew was the one to make eye contact with him. She immediately gave him the stink eye, which he had grown tired of seeing from her.

"What is her problem?" he wondered. "I haven't done anything bad to her and she suddenly decides to hate me. What happened to her that made her hate guys so much?"

"You okay, Nas?" Math asked, seeing the expression on his face.

"I'll be fine," he assured before going off to get some punch, meeting Ruby and Jaune there. He turned back to look at the table, seeing Robin walk off to meet with Ren and Nora while Pyrrha took Math to the dance floor.

"Hey, Nasser," Ruby greeted. "Did you come with a date?"

"No," he replied as he took a cup and filled it with punch. "What about you guys?"

"No," Jaune answered. "I asked Weiss and she shot me down. Big surprise, huh?"

"Two things," the knife user stated. "First, no; it's not a surprise. Two, then who did she go with?"

"She didn't come with anyone," Ruby informed.

"What?" Jaune exclaimed. "I saw her ask Neptune."

"Neptune?" Nasser asked with a smirk on his face. "Good thing she didn't."

"Why do you have such a problem with him?" Ruby asked with an annoyed tone.

"He has a problem with everyone," Jaune told the leader of Team RWBY, much to Nasser's annoyance.

"I have a problem with how Neptune only cares about being the 'cool guy'," he explained. "Now, since Neptune is nowhere to be seen, why don't you go talk to Weiss?" He gently pushed Jaune in Weiss's direction.

"I-I can't!"' he replied.

"Dude, go," Nasser insisted as he pushed him a bit harder this time. Jaune sighed as he looked over at Weiss.

She was right there, fixing the flowers on one of the tables. He was certain that she would come with Neptune, considering how she had shown some attraction to the member of Team SSSN. However, after hearing Ruby say she had come alone and, finally catching sight of Neptune with Blake and Sun, he breathed.

"Here I go," he decided as he walked over to Weiss. "No over-the-top antics, no pickup lines…just like you said, Pyrrha."

"Good man," Nasser smiled as he clinked drinks with Ruby.

By now, Yang had her dance with Blake. She then looked around, trying to find Ruo-Jian. She felt a tap on her shoulder from behind, looking to see Ruo-Jian.

"Well, hello," she greeted her date. "I hope those lessons from Ren helped you out."

"It was like a dream and a nightmare all at once," the Faunus replied. "Ren takes dancing TOO seriously."

"Pyrrha told me," Yang informed. "So, you ready?"

"I am," the White Tiger assured as he started slow dancing with Yang.

This moment was too perfect for him. He was certain that he'd mess up on the dancing; other than accidentally stepping on her heel a few times, he did well. He couldn't help but gaze at the beautiful young woman he was falling for, who had agreed to be his date, and had to endure suffering just as he had.

"Yang, you're…" he tried to get it out, but couldn't.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Well…" Ruo chuckled. _"So this is how Math felt around Pyrrha for the longest time."_

"What is it?" the blonde brawler of Team RWBY. Ruo sighed.

"I just never realized how beautiful you were and not just on the outside," he said. Yang just smiled warmly at him as she placed her arms on his shoulders.

"How else am I beautiful?" she asked. Ruo could see that this was not teasing; she genuinely wanted to know.

"Well…you're kind, you're fun to be around, you're upbeat, you always have our backs, whether it's in a fight or if we're feeling down," the Faunus answered. "What do you think of me?"

"I think you're someone who may come off as really stoic, but once people get to know you, you're actually a pretty good person," Yang answered back. "You're funny with the way you can be so quirky sometimes, you have a good heart, and…despite everything you've been through, you're a really kind person when people get to know you."

Ruo's ears flattened against his head and a blush was on his face as they continued dancing. Yang giggled at her date as he tried to hide it, but he couldn't, not from her.

"Let's head outside," she suggested.

"Outside?" Ruo asked. "As in the balcony?"

"Yeah," Yang clarified. She grabbed Ruo's hand, leading him away from the dance floor and up the stairs. Unknown to either of them, Robin, Nora, Ren and Ruby caught sight of the two leaving the room.

"Oh~" Robin chuckled. "What do you think they're up to?"

"Gross!" Ruby replied.

"You'll understand when you're older," Nora assured. "So, are we going to go check on them?"

"Spy on my teammate and his possible girlfriend?" Robin asked with a scowl of disbelief before changing to one of content. "Why not?"

"Alright," Ruby agreed as the four students secretly followed Yang and Ruo to the balcony.

Nasser was standing by the punch bowl, just looking at everyone enjoy the dance. Math was seen dancing with Pyrrha while she laughed a few times. Sun was dancing with Blake, who Yang had managed to come and enjoy the night. He watched as Ruo and Yang made their way up the stairs leading to the balcony with Ruby, Robin, Ren and Nora following them, making him chuckle.

"Seriously?" he said to himself. Just then, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Octavia.

"Hey," she greeted. "What're you doing here by yourself?"

"Just watching the dance," Nasser replied as he sipped his punch. "You?"

"Some of the guys came over, trying to ask us to dance," the redhead informed. "Gwen's already on the dance floor with Sage."

"From Team SSSN?" Nasser asked for clarification.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "He's actually a real nice guy. Bit introverted, but nice."

"Did Dew...?"

"She did." Octavia sighed, disliking her teammate's distrust of young men.

"Seriously, why does Dew hate guys so much?" Nasser asked.

"That's not really for me to tell," Octavia answered. "It's very personal for her."

"That stinks," the knife user responded as he drank from his punch.

"Well, want to dance?" the redhead offered. Nasser stopped drinking and looked over to her with a somewhat nervous scowl.

"Well…I wasn't planning on dancing," he admitted. Octavia chuckled.

"Not dancing…at a dance?" she questioned. She took Nasser's hand, leading him to the dance floor as the music started to adopt a more energetic beat.

The two present members of Team MRRN laughed as they danced with the women they loved; Math with Pyrrha and Nasser with Octavia. As the music picked up more, they started dancing more wildly and joyfully. While they were dancing, Pyrrha caught sight of Jaune at the table, looking as if he was depressed about something, stopping her dance.

"You okay, Pyrrha?" Math asked her.

"I'm fine," she answered. "I need to go check on Jaune."

"Alright," Math replied. "I'll go see if I can find Safirlas. Haven't had much time to speak to her lately." While Math went to go find Safirlas, Pyrrha walked over and placed a comforting hand on her team leader's shoulder.

"Hello," she greeted.

"Hey, Pyrrha," Jaune replied. The redhead sat down next to him with a concerned look.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I just don't get it," Jaune answered. "I was honest and didn't try any pickup lines with Weiss just like you said. I asked her to dance and she still said no, even though she's not here with Neptune."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she apologized. "Sometimes, we just like people who don't like us back. It's unfair, but that's the way it is."

"I just don't get it," the leader of Team JNPR spoke again. Pyrrha looked over to see Weiss, sitting by herself and drinking some punch.

"I'll talk to her," she insisted as she left Jaune by himself at the table and walked over to Weiss. When she saw Pyrrha walking to her, she stood up and greeted her.

"Hello, Pyrrha," she greeted. "Are you having a fun time?"

"I am," she answered. "May I speak with you for a little bit?"

"Sure," Weiss answered as the two girls walked over to a secluded table in the corner and sat down.

"Jaune told me he asked you to dance with him," Pyrrha brought up. "He didn't try any of his usual schemes, did he?"

"No," Weiss answered.

"Then…I don't see a reason why you can't give Jaune a chance," the redhead replied a stern tone. "Sure, I may not approve of his ridiculous schemes and ideas of wooing you, but his heart is true, so I must ask…why won't you give Jaune a chance?"

"All my life, boys have only cared about the perks of my last name," Weiss answered.

That answer nearly set Pyrrha off. To her, Weiss just said that she thought Jaune was shallow and only cares about her last name. It sounded like she was calling him a gold digger. Jaune was a lot of things, some only she knew, others everyone knew…but he was not shallow nor a gold digger.

"Pyrrha?" Weiss asked after seeing the serious scowl on the Amazon's face.

"Do you truly think that poorly of him?" she questioned. Weiss raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you honestly think Jaune's only interested in you for your last name?" she questioned again. "Jaune is a lot of things, but he is not shallow enough to only want you for your heritage. You and I both know him better than that!"

"Pyrrha, you do not get to tell me what I should know," Weiss replied.

"I'm telling that you are unfair towards him," she replied. "His ways of wooing you were…less than ideal, but his heart was always in the right place. I understand if you're put off by that, but I will not tolerate you thinking of Jaune as just some shallow pretty boy who only cares about your name."

"You don't know what it was like growing up," Weiss shot back. "Every young man I ever met only ever cared about my last name. They only cared about me being the daughter of one of Remnant's most powerful men."

"I know that pain too," Pyrrha informed the Schnee heiress. "Many young men approached me only because of my status as a Tournament champion. I once felt the same way, that every young man would only care about my status as a Tournament champion. But I was wrong…and so are you. I realized that if we're ever to find happiness with someone, then we need to stop thinking that every person only cares about what we are, not who we are."

Weiss was quiet for a little bit. At first, she did think terribly of Jaune because of her first impression of him. On the day of the initiation, he had come off as very flirtatious, cocky, and disrespectful of people's personal space. Then again, she was no saint herself during her first few weeks at the prestigious Academy.

Over time, she warmed up to Jaune, though remained dismissive of him due to his advances on her. Deep down, she thought he was only interested in her because of her family heritage. Like she said, many young men only wanted her for her family name, which had made her a little distrustful when it came to dating.

But now, she felt a little guilty for thinking that of him. She had known him for almost a year and she thought back to their encounters.

Never once did he ask about her family name. Never once did he bring it up. Sure, his ways of wooing her fell short, but he seemed genuinely interested in her as a person rather than the heiress to the SDC.

"Weiss," Pyrrha spoke in a much more gentle tone. "As your friend, all I'm asking is that you just give Jaune a chance. You don't have to be his girlfriend, you don't have to like everything he does…just give him a chance."

Weiss sighed. She looked over at Neptune, who was having a fun time without her as he hung out with Sun and Blake. She wished it was her he was having fun with, but it wasn't. She then looked over to Jaune, who was now by the punch bowl by himself.

"Okay," Weiss answered. "If you're so insistent, then I'll spend time with him tonight, though I can't promise anything other than that."

"Fair enough," Pyrrha agreed. "I'm sorry for taking a harsh tone with you."

"Thanks," Weiss replied. She stood up from her seat and walked over to Jaune.

-0-

"Well, Ms. Xiao Long and Ms. Schnee certainly did a good job picking up where Team CFVY left off," Goodwitch complimented. "Everyone seems to be having a good time."

"Indeed," Ozpin agreed. Ironwood approached Glynda and extended his hand.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, now that the music had taken a slower tune. Glynda reluctantly took his hand and walked with him to the dance floor.

Ozpin's scroll vibrated. He reached into his pocket, pulled it out and opened it, reading the name 'Kijivu'. He then answered it and put it next to his ear.

"Hello," he greeted.

" _I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time, Professor,"_ Kijivu asked.

"No, not at all," the Headmaster assured. "What is it?"

" _We learned something about the Iron Knights,"_ the VSU Captain informed. _"We managed to get one of them to talk. It looks like they have a post to the north of Vale."_

"Are you certain the information isn't misleading?" Ozpin asked.

" _I'm certain of it,"_ Kijivu answered. _"He mentions someone who is working with their leader, Nachtfel, but he doesn't know his name."_

"Do we have a description?" Ozpin requested.

" _All he said was that he was a tall man with white hair,"_ Kijivu informed. _"He also said he fought with…wires."_

Ozpin realized who it was, but dared not say his name. He realized then who the Iron Knights were really working for.

" _I'll approach the Council tomorrow to send a search team,"_ the VSU Captain informed.

"That won't be necessary," Ozpin replied. "I can handle this."

" _Are you certain?"_ Kijivu asked. _"The Iron Knight we got to confess talked like he was very dangerous."_

"I'm certain," Ozpin assured. "I'll have a team sent out in the morning to investigate. If what the Knight said is true, then we'll determine the best course of action from there."

" _Ozpin, I don't like this,"_ Kijivu expressed. _"These Iron Knights are more organized and stronger than we thought."_

"Which is why we handle it carefully," the Headmaster responded. "I will send a team in the morning. Once we discover if the Knight's claims are true, we'll decide the best course of action."

" _Very well,"_ Kijivu reluctantly agreed. _"I trust you. But before I hang up, who do you plan on sending?"_

"They're capable of handling this," Ozpin assured before hanging up. He then looked over at the two members of MRRN present, Math speaking with his sister and her teammates and Nasser on the dance floor with Octavia Ember.

"You cannot be serious about sending them, can you?" Alan Kura asked as he approached Ozpin with a cup of punch, having overheard some of the conversation.

"They're capable of handling this," Ozpin insisted. "They've fought them before."

"But Mathdon and Nasser almost got killed," Kura brought up.

"Which is why you will go with them," the Headmaster informed. "We need to know if the Iron Knights really do have a post to the north."

"Then what do we tell them?" the Grimm studies teacher asked.

"You don't tell them anything until you get there," the Headmaster replied. Alan raised his eyebrows.

"You're sending them in blind?" he questioned. "They need to know beforehand, otherwise-"

"I have faith in them," Ozpin interrupted. "They know what to expect from these Iron Knights."

"Ozpin-"

"This is a reconnaissance mission," the Headmaster informed. "They are not to engage the enemy unless they have no choice or until we determine our best course."

Alan Kura didn't like this. They knew the Iron Knights were not just a bunch of angry mob people; they were trained fighters and their leader was even more dangerous. He wanted to trust Ozpin's judgment, but after seeing Team MRRN nearly die was giving him doubts.

"As soon as we're able to discover what's going on, it'd be best to send them back," Kura insisted. "As you said, it is reconnaissance."

"We will speak more of this tomorrow," Ozpin replied. "For now, enjoy tonight." Before walking off, Alan looked back at the Headmaster.

"If Glaucus finds out about this, he won't be happy," he warned him.

"He understands that we must do what is necessary to keep Remnant safe," Ozpin assured. Alan sighed before leaving the Headmaster by himself.

 **Author's Notes: I hope you're still enjoying this Fanfic so far. Again, if you have any constructive criticism on how I could improve this story, please let me know.**


	12. The Dance (Pt 2)

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **VOLUME 2, CHAPTER 12: The Dance (Pt 2)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

Ruby, Robin, Ren and Nora quickly and silently followed Ruo and Yang to the balcony, hiding behind the corner.

"Why did you want to come out here?" the Faunus asked his date.

"Just wanted some alone time with you," she answered with the same bright smile she often wore on her scowl. "It was getting a bit noisy in there."

"Yeah," Ruo agreed. "You and Weiss did a good job finishing the dance."

"Thanks," she replied. "Is Robin doing okay since Coco couldn't make it?"

"He's not happy about it, but he's still having fun," Ruo assured. The two leaned on the railing, enjoying the beautiful view of the school and night sky. Ruo mustered the courage to slowly move his arm and take Yang's hand in his own.

"Sweet, he's making a move," Robin whispered.

"But he's not dancing," Ren replied. The archer sighed.

"I didn't mean dancing," he corrected the ninja of Team JNPR.

"Who taught you how to fight?" Yang asked.

"My mentor, Jinse Mu Shi," Ruo answered. "She was a Faunus, too; a Lioness to be exact. After I…ran off, Jinse found me and taught me what she knew."

"She just took you in?" Yang asked.

"She knew my parents," the Faunus informed. "At first, I didn't want her help, but after she told me the truth, I trained under her for four years before I decided to come to Vale."

"Guys, we should leave," Robin insisted, knowing how personal this was getting.

"What?" Nora asked. "But you're the one who suggested it."

"It is going a bit different than I thought," the archer replied. "Now let's go." Nora quietly groaned in annoyance before the four of them left Yang and Ruo to themselves.

"Ruo," Yang addressed. "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" The White Tiger nodded his head in reply.

"What happened to your mother?" The happiness and life from Ruo's face drained after hearing that question. What happened to her was something not even his own teammates knew. Being a part of the White Fang and enduring his mother's abuse wasn't his darkest secret; what happened to her was.

"I…" he tried to speak but failed.

"Ruo?" the blonde asked him, easily sensing the tension in him.

"Yang…that's not something I'm ready to tell," Ruo reluctantly admitted. "I'm sorry, Yang. I just-"

"I understand," Yang interrupted. Knowing about his troubled past, she understood that it would probably take some time before he was ready to confess what happened.

"Actually, I'm glad we're out here," the White Tiger admitted. "I wanted to tell you something else."

"What is it?" Yang asked. Ruo exhaled heavily, steadying his nerves for the question Math had asked Pyrrha.

"Yang, I really…really care about you," he admitted, though he was puzzled by Yang's reaction.

"Just care about me?" she asked, knowing how much she really meant to him. "Don't give me that." She grabbed Ruo's hands and placed them around her waist, pulling him closer to her.

"Repeat after me: I love you, Yang."

Ruo's face was a mix of nervousness, confusion, and a large blush covering his cheeks. His lips were just a few inches away from Yang's, her eyes fixed on his.

"I love you, Yang," she repeated, wanting to hear him say it. She was about to say it again before she was cut off by Ruo pressing his lips against hers. Unlike other time they kissed before at the bar and the food fight, they were both able to melt into it as Yang wrapped her arms around the Faunus's neck.

Ruo relished in the softness and sweet taste of the sun dragon's lips, holding her as close to him as possible. Yang smiled into the kiss, thinking of this as a better answer than what she had demanded.

Finally, the need for air become too much and they were forced to pull away from each other.

"I love you, Yang," Ruo told her, making her smile.

"I love you too, Ruo," she reciprocated before giving him a peck on his lips.

"So, does this mean we're-?"

"Yep," Yang interrupted. "It means that. But just so you know, when we go on dates, don't even THINK about ordering a mountain of food." Ruo nodded his head in reply.

"Well, are you ready to go back?" he asked her.

"In a little bit," Yang replied with a smile.

-0-

"So, did you manage to find someone to come with you?" Math asked his sister, who was wearing a long, one strap blue dress with black heels.

"I offered, but she refused," Imamu replied dramatically with a fake sad face.

"Shut up," Safirlas responded, brushing him off. "You're such a character."

"Thank you," Imamu replied.

"He never asked your sister because he was too busy trying to ask every third girl he saw," Medeia informed, who was wearing a purple dress going to her thighs with darker heels. "What about you, Math? Did you come with anyone?"

"I did," Math replied. "I came with Pyrrha. She went to go talk with one of her teammates…huh?" He looked to the dance floor to see Jaune and Weiss dancing, something he never thought he'd see.

"Looks like Weiss finally gave Jaune a chance," Math commented. "I'm happy for him."

"Weiss Schnee?" Rong asked. "You know her?"

"She's a friend," Math responded. However, he was more focused on Nasser, who was dancing with Octavia. Eventually, the two went over to the punch bowl and took some drinks. Just then, the music picked up a more active beat.

"Everyone on the dance floor!" Medeia commanded. Everyone got out of their seats and walked over. Math immediately caught sight of Pyrrha, but she didn't see him, giving the swordsman a fun idea.

He took cover between the moving dancers as he approached his girlfriend bit by bit, blending in whenever she turned around. Finally, just as Math was about to wrap his arms around her…

"You know I saw you, right?" Pyrrha spoke before Math could make his move.

"Was I that obvious?" the leader of Team MRRN asked.

"Yes…at least, to me," she answered with a giggle. "You try to be so stealthy sometimes, but…I'm sorry."

"I know," Math agreed, knowing stealth wasn't always his best suit. "So, everyone's getting on the dance floor. You want to join?"

"I would love to," Pyrrha said as she extended her hand to Math's, then yelped playfully as he pulled her in and took her to the dance floor.

-0-

Robin hadn't touched the dance floor at all tonight. Instead, he had hung out by the table or the punch bowl. He was still being sociable, but he was not being himself.

"Hey," Ruby greeted as she approached the archer.

"Hey," he replied.

"You're not going to dance?" she asked as she sat down next to him.

"Dancing was never my thing," he admitted. "I was going to ask for some advice, but after learning that Coco wasn't going to make it, I decided not to." Ruby looked at him with pity.

"You're really let down that she couldn't make it?" the reaper Huntress asked. Robin sighed.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I was looking forward to doing this with her. She's honestly the very first girl I've been in a genuine relationship with."

"You really care about her?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah," Robin confirmed. "What about you? Anyone you have your eye on?" Ruby thought for a moment before giving her response.

"No," she answered. "I haven't really been interested in any boys here."

"None?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow. "Come on. You're telling me no guy has caught your attention? Any at all?"

"Well…" the reaper Huntress thought for a moment about any guys she'd be romantically interested in.

"No," Ruby repeated. "He'd have to be a weapons' dork like me. He'd have to enjoy fighting Grimm…like me. He'd also have to have an awesome scythe…like me." She paused for a moment. "That last one…is more of a preference than a requirement." The archer chuckled at this.

"Well, if I find someone who meets your requirements, I'll let you know," he assured.

"I'm not in a hurry," Ruby claimed. Robin looked over to the stairs that led to the balcony and saw Ruo-Jian and Yang come down to join in the dancing.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that your sister has an official boyfriend," he smirked. Ruby looked over to see her sister with his teammate.

"Gross!" Ruby whined as she turned away. Robin rose from his seat as he laughed at Ruby's innocent expression.

"Ruby, you'll understand when you're older," he teased. "I'm heading back to the dorm."

"Mind if I join?" Ruby asked. "I really want to get out of these shoes. Then tomorrow, I'll ask Weiss and Pyrrha how they fight in these."

"Yeah, sure," Robin replied. The two walked to the entrance to leave the dance. As Robin prepared to text his teammates, he noticed Ruby stopping.

"What is it?" he asked her. He looked in her direction to see a masked woman in black leaping across the rooftops. It looked like she was on her way to the CCT Tower.

"Let's go," Ruby insisted as the two of them followed her.

-0-

By now, the dance had dragged on for Math. He was sitting at his table with Pyrrha, recovering from their energetic dancing. He noticed the smile she had on her face as Jaune danced with Weiss, something he thought he'd never see from the Schne heiress.

"I'm glad to see Weiss is finally giving Jaune a chance," he commented.

"Yes," Pyrrha agreed. She looked over at her boyfriend and could see that he was losing interest in the dance, a rather bored expression on his face.

"Would you like to leave?" she offered.

"What?" Math hastily asked. "No, no, I'm fine. Just a little tired from the dancing."

Pyrrha didn't buy it. She knew him too well to know when he was lying.

"The dance is getting boring for you, isn't it?" she asked rather bluntly.

"A little bit," Math admitted. "But I know you're having fun."

"I won't make you stay if you don't want to."

Math didn't want to stay longer, but he knew how much this meant to Pyrrha. It was her first time attending an occasion like this with someone she cared about rather than having to come alone. He wanted it to be special and not have to give it up just because he was bored.

"Math?" Pyrrha asked.

"Pyrrha, you've said how much this means to you," he explained. "I don't want you to feel like you have to leave just because I'm a little bored."

"You're not," she assured as she took his hand in hers. "The time we've spent together at this dance was wonderful. I wouldn't mind if we went back and…" She blushed a little.

"And?" Math asked, wondering what she was going to say. She was blushing a bit heavier now as she often did when the topic of romance was brought up.

"Perhaps going back to one of our dorms and…cuddling?" she suggested, her face now as red as her hair, making Math chuckle.

"Have I ever told you're really cute when you blush~?" he teased his girlfriend and reached out to touch her shoulder.

"So…is that a yes?" she asked.

"Sounds perfect," Math replied. She smiled as the two of them stood up and made their way out of the dance.

"So which dorm would you prefer?" the swordsman asked.

"Honestly, I prefer mine," Pyrrha answered.

"Then I'll head on mine real quick, get changed and meet at yours," he suggested.

"Sounds lovely," she replied.

-0-

Nasser took note of his two missing teammates. Math had already texted that he had gone with Pyrrha, but there was no message from Robin. He wondered where he could've gone since Coco hadn't been able to make it because of their mission taking longer than expected. The only two left here were him and Ruo-Jian, who was dancing with Yang.

He looked around, hoping to find Octavia, but she was nowhere to be seen. She had mysteriously disappeared…along with Dew Gayl.

"I wonder where she went?" he thought before walking to the stairs to go up to the balcony. As he approached, he could hear a groan of frustration.

"Why do you have to distrust him, Dew?" Octavia asked from around the corner. "I know him!"

"All guys are the same," Dew replied. "They don't care about what's in your heart, they just care for your body."

"Dew, just because your boyfriend cheated on you doesn't mean the same's going to happen to me! I know Nasser!"

"You KNEW Nasser," Dew seemingly corrected. "You haven't seen him in years. How do you know he hasn't changed for the worse?"

"You don't decide what I know about him!" the redhead fumed. "If you want to live your life not trusting guys, then fine! But you've no right to make me hate them too! No wonder your boyfriend didn't want you anymore!"

Nasser covered his mouth in response to what Octavia just said. It was obvious from Dew's reaction that she had hit a very bad nerve. The blonde's reaction went from shock to anger that almost seemed uncontrollable.

"My boyfriend cheated on me because he didn't care about me as a person!" she roared, making Octavia jump. "Then he had the nerve to blame me because 'I wasn't good enough'. It happened to me and it can happen to you!" Dew stormed off to the stairs, prompting Nasser to use his Semblance to get away before she could see him. He was able to reach a table in time before the blonde member of NDGO could reach there.

"Damn," he muttered to himself after learning of the betrayal and hurt Dew had to endure.

-0-

Robin and Ruby approached the entrance to the CCT, only to be greeted by the sight of a soldier unconscious in the bushes. They both took out their scrolls and activated their rocket lockers, landing a few meters away from them.

"We need to work on targeting," the archer commented as he retrieved Sharp Shot and Ruby got Crescent Rose. They entered the building; instead of unconscious soldiers, all of them were dead.

"Doesn't look like bullets," Robin said as he used his Semblance to inspect their wounds. "These were definitely done with some kind of blade."

"What's going on here?" the reaper Huntress questioned.

"We need to get to the elevator," Robin stated as he and Ruby rushed over. The archer pushed the button and the elevator immediately opened, showing two unconscious soldiers.

"Let's go," Robin spoke as he and Ruby entered the elevator. Robin used his Semblance to look for heat traces, finding a somewhat faint one on the button for the main communication center.

" _Hold up your scroll for identification,"_ the computer requested. Ruby sighed as she took out her scroll and held it up to the panel.

" _Welcome, Ms. Rose,"_ the computer greeted before the doors closed.

It wasn't too long before the two of them reached the top floor. Robin held up his finger to Ruby, telling her to be quiet. He activated his Semblance to see a figure hiding behind the main desk.

"Go left and I'll go right," Robin whispered to her. "The intruder's behind the main desk. We can take them by surprise." Ruby nodded as she slowly went left and Robin the opposite direction.

Ruby stumbled a little bit because of the heels she was wearing, making her groan in frustration. She definitely needed to ask Pyrrha and Weiss how they could fight in these, let alone walk.

Robin held up his hand, signaling for Ruby to stop. The archer nocked an arrow onto the bowstring, slowly pulled back and stopped. He had no idea who this intruder was and needed to be cautious, otherwise he could meet the same fate Math almost did.

Finally, Robin leapt and fired the arrow at the intruder, who was indeed the masked woman. She narrowly dodged the attack and summoned several glass-like projectiles, aimed at both of them.

Ruby destroyed the ones aiming at her with a spin of Crescent Rose while Robin evaded the attack by leaping over one of the computers. Ruby countered with several rounds from her scythe, but the masked woman blocked all of them with merely a swipe of her hand.

"How did she do that?" Robin thought to himself before seeing the containers of Dust attached to her thighs. Just as the intruder summoned two curved blades, she felt an arrow fly past her. At first, she thought it was merely a missed shot, but looked at her thigh to see two of her Dust containers destroyed.

Ruby rushed in to attack with Crescent Rose, unleashing a frenzy of attacks on the masked woman, who effortlessly blocked with her swords. The woman then combined them into a bow and fired two explosive arrows at the two of them. They exploded on impact, but the two students dodged the attack.

The masked woman went for another of her Dust containers, but just as she pulled it out, Robin nocked another arrow and shot the container, shattering it to pieces. With the one container she had left, she took it out and dodged Robin's next arrow, then created several more glass-like projectiles. The two students didn't have a chance to dodge before she threw the projectiles at them.

The explosive projectiles nearly depleted Robin's Aura, meaning if he was hit again, it'd be over for him. She used the Dust again, summoning the same bow and aimed at the two students, preparing to finish them off. Just then, the elevator opened to show Ironwood, his pistol aimed and ready to fire.

Immediately, he fired at the intruder, who blocked the bullets. She needed to make her escape while she still could, so using her Dust again, she shot three explosive arrows at the students, who dodged them as they exploded. When the smoke cleared, the masked woman was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you okay?" Ironwood asked the two students.

"We're fine," Robin assured as he changed Sharp Shot to its bow form and attached it to his quiver.

"Did you recognize her?" the General asked.

"No," Ruby replied. Just then, the midnight bell went off. All three of them were left unaware of the virus now in their system, shown by a large black queen piece.

-0-

Math had changed into his sleeping clothes, wearing a white t-shirt and brown pajama pants. In case he was gone longer than he thought, he grabbed a set of clothes and walked out of his dorm, heading for Team JNPR's. Upon approaching the door, he knocked three times and patiently waited for Pyrrha to open it.

It was taking a little longer than he thought, but was ultimately greeted by the sight of Pyrrha in her sleeping wear, consisting of a bronze colored sleeping outfit with pants and a button up shirt with her symbol on the left side.

"Hello," she greeted a bit shyly.

"You okay, Pyrrha?" Math asked. She assured him with a nod of her head.

"Come on in," she welcomed, prompting Math to enter her dorm and placed his spare clothes on the drawer.

"So…which one's your bed?" the swordsman asked.

"This one," Pyrrha answered, pointing the first to the right. She yelped as she felt two arms lift her bridal style and then walk over to the bed.

She did her best to hide the immense blush on her face as Math gently put her down on one side and then laid on the other, looking at her. She couldn't take it anymore and buried her face in his chest, hiding both her blush and smile.

"Pyrrha?" the swordsman asked. There was no response from her. He wrapped both of his arms around her, pulling her closer to him before kissing her forehead. Pyrrha then returned the embrace by wrapping her arms around him, doing what she could to close the space between them.

"Math?" he heard her say.

"Yeah?" he replied. She removed her face from his chest and looked at him with the sweetest and most innocent look he had seen from her.

"Please don't leave me," she spoke softly. Math brought her as close to him as possible.

"Never," he assured. "I love you." He closed the gap between them with a passionate kiss, lasting a few moments before pulling away. He could see a noticeable expression of worry on his girlfriend.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Tomorrow, we start our missions," Pyrrha informed. "Tomorrow…anything can happen."

"It's what we signed up for," the autistic swordsman reminded her. "We're training to fight Grimm, the most dangerous creatures in Remnant."

"That doesn't stop me from worrying," she confessed. "I'm afraid of something happening to you. If it did-"

"Ozpin won't send us on missions he knows we cannot handle," Math assured her. "Besides, we'll be shadowing professional Huntsmen during our missions. To be honest, I hope I don't go with Port."

"Why not?" the redhead asked him.

"I don't want to spend our entire mission listening to him talk about his 'youthful stories'," Math admitted. "I respect him, but I do not like his stories at all."

"Just promise…" she stopped. Pyrrha took a few deep breaths before looking at her boyfriend in the eye.

"Promise me you'll be safe…and don't be reckless."

"I'll come back," Math assured as he kissed her forehead. "I promise." The redhead smiled contently before they got under the covers and she rested her head at the crook of his neck. Soon, her breathing turned into a rhythmic snoring, her arms wrapped around him and trying to be as close to him as possible.

"You be safe, too," Math whispered before kissing Pyrrha's head, making her moan a little. It wasn't too long before he fell asleep too, laying his head down on the pillow and holding the young woman he had fallen in love with.

 **Author's Notes: I'm sorry if this chapter felt rushed. It was harder than I thought it'd take to write it. As usual, if you have any constructive criticism on how to improve my story, then please let me know.**

 **Also, I've edited the poll in my profile. Feel free to visit it when you'd like.**


	13. Ozpin's Move

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **Volume 2, Chapter 13: Ozpin's Move**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

Math slowly opened his eyes to see that he was still snuggled with Pyrrha. She was still asleep, her arms around him. As soon as he tried to move, she moaned a little before snuggling her face up to his neck.

"You're so warm~" she mumbled happily, though she was probably still half-asleep. Math could hear giggling from behind him; he turned his head around as far as he could to see Nora with a huge grin on her face.

"Seriously?" he asked.

"What?" she asked. "You two look so cute snuggled together like that."

"So…all of you saw last night?" he asked.

"Duh!" Nora responded. "This is our dorm, after all."

"Did my teammates see us too?" Nora nodded her head with an even bigger smirk.

"Prepare for some serious teasing when you get to your dorm," Nora warned Mathdon. Just then, he felt Pyrrha's arms pull him closer.

"But for now, we're cuddling," the redhead replied, her eyes still closed. "Missions don't start until later."

"What time is it?" Math asked.

"8:30," Nora answered.

"Just a few more minutes?" Pyrrha asked Math, looking up at him with puppy eyes.

"I hate it when you do that," Math sighed before chuckling.

"Only because it always works," his girlfriend told him.

They cuddled for several more minutes before Math got up and picked up his set of spare clothes. He looked over at Ren and Jaune, who were still fast asleep. Math covered his mouth to contain a flood of laughs from escaping his lips after seeing a glimpse of Jaune's pajamas.

"What's so funny?" Pyrrha asked.

"Is…is he seriously…wearing…PUMPKIN PETE'S?!" he finally burst, waking up both of the male members of JNPR. They both looked at him like he was crazy, unable to contain his laughter.

"What?" Jaune asked.

"Jaune, are you seriously wearing Pumpkin Pete's pajamas?" he asked between laughs.

"I've always had them," the leader of JNPR replied. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Nora walked over to opened it, showing Teams RRN and RWBY.

"What's so funny?" Yang asked before everyone looked at Jaune. There was silence for a few moments before all of them burst into laughter.

"Pumpkin Pete's pajamas?!" the blonde brawler teased. "What…why would you bring that to Beacon!?"

"It must've cost several carrots," Nasser joked. Everyone laughed even harder.

"He had to really HOP to it to get those," Yang added. The room was filled with laughter, much at the expense of the leader of Team JNPR.

"Guys!" Jaune complained.

"Oh, Ruby would love this," Yang brought up. It then struck Mathdon; two of his friends were not present.

"Where's Robin and Ruby?" he asked.

-0-

"Ozpin, they were here," Ironwood growled. "They were here!"

"We're much aware of that, thank you," Glynda replied.

"Wonderful, you're aware," the General replied. "Now are we going to do something about it or 'stay the course' and ignore what's right in front of us?"

"We're not ignoring anything, Ironwood," Alan responded. "We don't even know where they went or who they are. Until we can hopefully get some detailed information from those two students, all we'd do is go on a wild goose chase."

"Then we do something about we do know!" Ironwood replied, losing his patience. "We know that there is an Iron Knight outpost to the north. We can send an army there as soon as possible and-"

"And they may just be annihilated," Alan interrupted. "We cannot underestimate them." A beeping sound was heard and a projection of the words 'Entry Requested' popped up on Ozpin's desk.

"Come in," he answered. The elevator door opened to show Ruby and Robin.

"Sorry, we're late," the reaper Huntress apologized. "Someone accidentally hit all the buttons on their way here." Robin pointed a finger at Ruby, which she smacked away.

"Thank you for coming in," Ozpin spoke. "How are you two feeling?"

"We're feeling fine," Robin replied.

"Ruby, Robin," Ironwood addressed as he approached them. "I want you two to know that I think what you did last night is exactly what is expected of a Huntsman and Huntress. You saw a threat, you took action…and you did the best you could."

"Thanks," Ruby responded.

"The General informed us about what happened at the CCT Tower last night," the Headmaster of Beacon informed. "Now that you two are rested, I was hoping you two could give us any details of the attacker."

"Well, it was definitely a woman, even though she never said a word," Robin assured. "Obviously, her Semblance didn't have anything to do with trickery or illusions, otherwise I would've seen through it."

"That's right," Alan remembered. "Your Semblance allows you to possess powerful optical abilities. So it's good to know she couldn't disguise herself other than with a mask."

"She fought with glass," Ruby added. "I don't think it was her Semblance either, but her clothes lit up whenever she attacked."

"She seemed very skilled at using Dust," Robin added as well. "She could summon blades, a bow, even explosive arrows."

"Save for the glass, that sounds like the woman I fought the night I met Ruby," Glynda brought up.

"Embedding Dust into clothing is an age-old technique," Ironwood brought up. "It could've been anyone."

"Wait," Ruby spoke up. "Do you think this woman is connected to Torchwick and the White Fang?"

"Or the Iron Knights?" Robin asked too.

"We don't have enough evidence to link her with either faction," the Beacon Headmaster informed. "However, I won't rule out the possibility."

"Actually," Ruby spoke up. "I think I remember her saying something about a hideout…in the southeast, just outside the kingdom."

Robin raised an eyebrow. During their fight, the intruder never said a word to them; he said it himself. He gave a questioning look to Ruby, wondering why she would say something like this.

"Interesting," Ozpin replied.

"Wait," Glynda spoke. "I thought you said-"

"Thank you for your cooperation, Ruby," Ozpin interrupted, cutting Goodwitch off. "Please return to your teams. You have a long day ahead of you."

"Anytime," Ruby bragged.

"Ms. Rose, Mr. Kendrick," Ozpin addressed before they could leave. "Please be discreet about this matter."

"Will do," Robin assured, confused by what had happened. The two walked over to the elevator and descended from the tower.

The ride down was mostly quiet for Robin. He was confused by some of the things that had transpired in the Headmaster's office.

The intruder never said anything about a hideout in the southeast; she didn't say anything at all. Where did Ruby learn this information? Was it when they were arrested by the VSU for the Paladin incident?

Glynda was about to catch Ruby in a lie, but Ozpin stopped her. Why would he just cut her off like that? Goodwitch almost brought up a very valid point, but the Headmaster stopped her.

"She never said a word," Robin reminded Ruby. "You lied to them."

"What?" the leader of Team RWBY gasped. "She just spoke when you weren't…ok, I lied."

"Why?" Robin asked.

"Look," Ruby replied. "This is our only chance to stop Roman if he does have a hideout in the southeast."

"Why didn't you tell the VSU?" the archer scolded. "They could've gone there by now."

"Uhhh….well…" Ruby couldn't give a satisfactory answer. Robin facepalmed.

"Are you serious?" he questioned. "You knew about that this entire time and you never told anyone? Ozpin, the VSU, local Huntsmen…even the police?" Ruby's eyes widened as she nervously scratched her head.

She had kept information about the White Fang from the local authorities, who could've done something about it by now. If she and her friends hadn't been arrested, that would've been different. But they were and they had kept valuable information from everyone. Robin groaned in annoyance.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked in disbelief.

"Robin, we were going to go ourselves," Ruby admitted. "I…"

"Do you honestly think you're ready after what happened on the highway?" the archer questioned. "When will you stop thinking you're the only ones who can fight the bad guys?"

Ruby just stood there in shock of the archer's sudden change in behavior. He almost never got on anyone for their mistakes, instead just letting them slide. Now, it was him scolding her for keeping important information when she should've told someone.

She was about to reply, but the elevator door opened and Robin immediately walked out. After she did, she thought about what Robin said.

" _When will you stop thinking you're the only ones who can fight the bad guys?"_

-0-

"Well, that's it then," Ironwood stated. "We send as many troops as possible, find out what's going on and eradicate anyone who stands in our way." Glynda shook her head in annoyance.

"Why must your answer to everything involve a grand display of military bravado!?" she questioned angrily. "You treat every situation like it's a contest of measuring-"

"Glynda!" Ozpin spoke.

"Well, he does," Goodwitch stated.

"She's right," the Headmaster spoke. "As much as I would love to end this quickly, this plot may go beyond Beacon, beyond Vale. If this is indeed some master plan for which we know not the final stroke, we must not be so bold, nor risk the spread of panic."

"I've followed you faithfully for years," Ironwood grimly replied. "But if you mean to tell me your plan is to merely hold the defenses-"

"It is not!" Ozpin barked. His expression changed from a stern one to his usual calm and collected.

"You're a general, James," Ozpin reminded. "In war, who do you send first: the flagbearer or the scouts?"

"Who are our scouts?" Alan asked. "First years."

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"I'm sending Team MRRN to the Iron Knight outpost with Alan," Ozpin explained. Ironwood's eyes widened in surprise to what he just heard.

"You cannot be serious," the General responded. "Why are you sending first year students instead of professionals?"

"Because we don't know what's out there," Ozpin answered. "Maybe it's just an unguarded supply line. Maybe it's a fortified base. We must do reconnaissance before we make a move."

"But Valkoin is there!" Alan brought up. "We all know only one man on Salem's side who uses wires."

"Valkoin is there?" Ironwood gasped. "You know and you're sending them anyway? They're not ready to fight someone like him."

"As I said, it's strictly recon," the Beacon Headmaster responded. "If we do this your way, Ironwood, then we risk the possibility of a massacre."

"If you send Team MRRN there, they risk getting killed," Alan argued.

"They understood what they signed up for," Ozpin countered. "They understand that they can die and they accept those risks."

"But against Valkoin?" Ironwood questioned. "He is both dangerous and intelligent. Taking him down would be near impossible for them."

"That's why they will not engage the enemy," Ozpin informed. "Team MRRN is the only team here that have fought the Iron Knights."

"But Mathdon and Nasser almost got killed," Ironwood reminded the Beacon Headmaster. "You saw what Nachtfel did to them. What do you think Valkoin will do to them? Are you blind!?"

"James!" Glynda scolded. The Atlesian General looked at Goodwitch, then Ozpin, then her again, and then him again.

"Ever since I've come here, you've ignored my advice about everything," James claimed. "How will we win this war when we send in first year students instead of professional soldiers?"

"We will if needed," Ozpin assured. "But we must analyze the situation first before we make a true decisive move."

"Then let us send professional Huntsmen," Alan suggested.

"They're too busy dealing with the Iron Knights here," Ozpin reminded. "Even if we did, it'd take too long to get together a team. I know you both have your doubts about this, but I believe this is the best way to proceed." Alan sighed; he wanted to trust Ozpin's judgment, but this plan wasn't one he fully supported. Nevertheless, if Ozpin thought it was right, he'd go through with it.

"Alright," Alan conceded.

-0-

"Really?" Robin asked his teammates. "Jaune wears Pumpkin Pete's pajamas?"

"We only found out since Math was laughing his ass off," Nasser pointed out.

"It was that funny?" Robin asked his cousin.

"I tried to keep myself from laughing, but…" he chuckled as he buried his face in his hands. "I literally burst out laughing."

"Yeah, everyone could hear him," Ruo informed. They all laughed from the turn of events, much at the expense of Jaune.

"Okay, that does not leave this room," Math demanded, not wanting everyone to bully his friend.

"We know," Robin replied.

"Now that's out of the way," Ruo spoke. "What happened in Ozpin's office? Why did you seem so mad at Ruby?"

"She knew where the White Fang was," Robin answered, a scowl of disappointment and anger in his scowl.

"What?" Nasser questioned.

"She, and possibly her team, knew the White Fang had a hideout in the southeast and they didn't tell anyone," the archer clarified. "If she had told someone earlier, this could've been taken care of by now. But that's not all."

"What do you mean?" Math asked.

"Ruby said that the intruder said this," Robin continued. "Thing is, the intruder never said a word to either of us. When Professor Goodwitch was about to point this out, Ozpin just cut her off."

"He just…cut her off?" Math asked, confused by why Ozpin would act this way.

"Plus, he seemed to know that Ruby lied about the intruder saying it, but he didn't seem to mind," Robin added.

" _Will all first year students please report to the amphitheater?"_ Goodwitch said over the intercom.

"Well, it's time to go on our first mission," Math stated. "Let's go."

It didn't take the four young men too long to reach the amphitheater, where all of the first year students had gathered from Atlas, Shade, Haven and Beacon. They walked over to Teams RWBY and JNPR, where Math greeted his girlfriend with a peck on her lips and Ruo on a peck on Yang's cheek before she grabbed his collar and pulled him for a full liplock, lasting a few moments.

" _Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin,"_ Goodwitch said on the microphone, then stepping aside and allowing Ozpin to approach it.

" _Today, we stand united: Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo and Vale,"_ Ozpin started. _"The four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or traded with who, but the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the complete destruction of art and self-expression. As you're all aware, that was something many simply could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. It is a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism and unity through diversity. As I said, today we stand together, united…but this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission. Some will take you out of the kingdom for several days, others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training and remember to do your very best."_

Ozpin then walked away from the microphone and everyone cheered in response to his speech.

"Which one do you guys want to do?" Math asked.

"What about 'Search and Destroy'?" Nasser suggested. "It'd be a good way to get rid of some Grimm."

"I was thinking of 'Village Security'," Ruo replied.

"Let's look and see what we find," Robin suggested, to which the team agreed. They walked over to the projectors, looking at the various missions listed. There was 'Escort', 'Village Security', 'Search and Destroy', and many others. After conversing with each other for a little bit, the team eventually agreed on 'Search and Destroy'.

"What about here?" Math suggested, pointing at a 'Search and Destroy' mission in the south.

"Sounds good," Nasser replied. Math pressed on the mission and entered the team name 'MRRN', then pressed enter. A screen appeared, saying "FIRST YEAR STUDENTS ONLY ALLOWED ONE MISSION'.

"What?" Math wondered. "I didn't sign us up for a mission already."

"I did," Ozpin spoke. "I took the liberty of already assigning your team a mission."

"You already assigned us a mission?" Robin asked, a bit cautious around Ozpin after what happened in his office. "What is it exactly?"

"Reconnaissance," Ozpin informed. "There's been some…disturbances in the north recently and I need a team to analyze the situation before we make a move. Professor Alan Kura will be escorting you."

"What exactly are we looking for?" Math asked.

"Professor Kura will explain once you arrive," Ozpin answered. "I would advise you to leave as soon as you can."

-0-

The team walked out with Teams RWBY and JNPR to the courtyard, leading to the docked bullheads that would take them to their missions.

"So, Pyrrha, what is your team doing?" Math asked.

"Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff of a nearby village," she answered.

"We set out tomorrow," Ren added.

"What about you, Yang?" Ruo asked. "Where are you heading?"

"Southeast, just outside the kingdom," she answered. "What about you guys?"

"We're heading north," Math answered. "There's been some disturbances going on there and Ozpin wants us to investigate."

"Did he say exactly what kind?" Pyrrha asked.

"He said Professor Kura would explain once we get there," Nasser replied. "I don't get why he can't tell us now."

After hearing about what happened in Ozpin's office, Team MRRN was a bit suspicious of Ozpin. He was being very vague about the 'disturbances' that were going on up north; it wasn't helping that he was insisting that they'd be told AFTER they arrive rather than be told everything now. But for now, they couldn't say much, so they kept walking with the teams.

"Oh, baby~" a sultry voice called out. Before he knew it, Robin felt two arms turn him around and then a pair of lips landed on his. After pulling away, he saw that it was none other than Coco Adel.

"Hey," he greeted. "How're you doing?"

"Doing fine," Coco replied.

"What happened?" the archer asked with some concern in his tone. "Your mission was supposed end a week ago."

"Nothing happened," the heavy gunner answered. "There were so many."

"Did you all get out okay at least?" Coco nodded her head.

"Yeah, it was nothing we couldn't handle…but I'm sorry we didn't make it to the dance."

"That's fine," Robin assured. "When I get back from my mission, we can have a dance of our own."

"Sounds good," Coco replied before kissing her boyfriend again. "Take care."

"Will do," the archer again assured before he left to catch up with his team.

-0-

"Why hello, girls," Oobleck greeted Team RWBY with JNPR and MRRN behind them. "Who's ready to fight for their lives?"

"How does Professor Oobleck make fighting sound so lame?" Nasser whispered to his teammates.

"You'd do well to show respect to your teachers, Mr. Achdarr," Oobleck called out. "And it's Doctor."

"Which dock is Professor Kura at again?" Ruo asked.

"Dock 14," Math answered. "We should get moving."

"Hold up!" Yang called before she approached Ruo and planted a kiss on his lips.

"Be careful, Yang," the White Tiger told his girlfriend.

"You too," she responded before walking away with her team. As MRRN and JNPR left in the opposite direction, Math saw the same look of worry on Pyrrha, so he approached her and grabbed her hand.

"I will come back," he assured. "I promised." The two then wrapped their arms around each other before she gave him a gentle yet passionate kiss.

"Be safe," she spoke softly before leaving with her team.

It didn't take too long for Team MRRN to find Dock 14 where a bullhead was waiting and Professor Kura was standing by the entrance, armed with his weapon. It looked like a spear with two blades opposite of each other, the space between them resembling the jaws of a Raptor. Upon seeing Team MRRN arrive, he put on his fedora hat and looked at them with a stern face.

"Let's go," he ordered. "We'll need to get there soon."

"What's so important about these disturbances?" Math asked the Professor.

Alan sighed; he was still doubtful of Team MRRN going there. He wanted to trust Ozpin's judgment, but it didn't feel right sending out first years to an Iron Knight outpost. But nothing could be done now; he had to do it and he could only let them know upon arrival.

"I'll explain the situation once we get there," he replied. "For now, let's go." Despite their suspicions, Team MRRN stepped into the bullhead and it took off to the north, starting their first mission as Huntsmen.

-0-

"Why are we doing this?" an Iron Knight, known as the Crusher, asked a man with combed back white hair, a goatee and shades covering his eyes. He was wearing a color scheme of black and white; his most distinctive features were his shades and black long coat. On his forearms were well-designed gauntlets with wires running through and around them.

"Let's just say Ozpin and his compatriots have some questions I wanted answered," Valkoin responded. "The questions I will ask are my business alone. Make sure that everything's prepped once we receive word from Roman."

"Roman?" the Crusher asked. "I thought he was in Vale."

"He's moved to Mountain Glenn, where preparations are being made," Valkoin explained. "Nachtfel is doing a good job keeping the Huntsmen of Vale busy, so Ozpin will have no choice but to send one of his compatriots here, possibly along with some students."

"So what are your orders?" the Crusher asked.

"Do whatever you want with the students, but I want the Professor sent with them alive," Valkoin answered. "However, don't be afraid to rough him a bit."

"We understand," the Crusher responded. "Let's hope this trap is worth it."

"It will be," the wire user assured. "For both of us. Now go set up the preparations for the trap. Make sure they find their way to the ambush spot."

"Understood," the Crusher replied before leaving to join up with his Knights. Valkoin was left alone, pondering on the possible outcomes of what he had set up. He had arranged for Ozpin to find out about the outpost, knowing he wouldn't send a lot of forces since he wanted to handle things subtly.

Even if Ironwood sent troops to the outpost, they were more than ready for them. They were equipped with all manner of weaponry; firearms, knives, swords, anti-aircraft, tanks…Ironwood could not hope to win.

"You've always had a habit of keeping people in the dark, Ozpin," Valkoin spoke. "Eventually, it will be your undoing as well as your followers." He smirked, waiting for whoever Ozpin sent to arrive.

 **Author's Notes: A story I've recently read is PALDN Volume 1 by PaladinofArgyle. I'd recommend reading his story as well. Enjoy!**


	14. Recon

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **Volume 2, Chapter 14: Recon**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

It was a long flight for Professor Kura and Team MRRN. They were suspicious of why Ozpin wouldn't tell them what the possible disturbances were; it could be Grimm, bandits, Iron Knights…could be anything. That meant they had to be prepared for anything and everything.

"What are these disturbances?" Math asked the Professor as the bullhead took them north of Vale.

"Since we're close, I'll go ahead and say it," Kura replied. "We believe Iron Knights have an outpost to the north of Vale. We've been sent to confirm it before deciding a further course of action."

"Why didn't Ozpin just tell us?" Math asked.

"He…had his reasons," Alan responded. "Our mission is to find out if they do have an outpost here. If so, then we do some recon, but no engaging the enemy unless necessary."

"What?" Nasser complained. "You're telling me all we're going to do is sit around and just look at those Knights?"

"It's Ozpin's orders," Kura replied. "We don't have confirmation, so we're scouting out the place and reporting back to Ozpin where we'll decide our next move against them."

At the moment, Robin was contemplating telling Kura about Ruby's lie back in Ozpin's office. It was still bothering him that she had kept this information from everyone, especially after the Paladin incident. It honestly angered him, feeling that they had not learned from their mistake that got them arrested.

"You okay, Robin?" Math asked his cousin.

"I'm fine," he answered. "I have a dance with Coco to look forward to when we get back."

"That sounds great," the swordsman replied.

" _We'll be arriving at our destination in less than an hour,"_ the pilot informed everyone.

"Is there any chance Nachtfel will be there?" Math asked Kura.

"I don't think so," the Professor answered. "Let's hope not. It could be dangerous enough without him."

Math started thinking about Nachtfel, the same warrior who had easily beaten both him and Nasser on the night of the Vytal Committee…and nearly killed him. He was dangerous enough with just his swordsmanship and fighting skills, but his Semblance, while seemingly limited, made him much more formidable.

He was worried about running into him again; not just because of how easily he beat them, but because of learning how he came to be. He said 'a devil you created'; at first, Math thought he was pushing the blame onto someone, but after learning of how Huntsmen used to be above the law made him wonder how the devil warrior came to be.

" _A devil you created."_

Those words kept ringing in Math's mind. What happened to Nachtfel that made him so seemingly filled with hatred for Huntsmen?

Another question, one more dreadful, seeped into his mind; if they encountered Nachtfel, would his team be able to take him? He didn't want to lead them into a battle they couldn't win. He won't.

"Well, next time I see Nachtfel, I'll kick his ass!" Nasser claimed. "He beat us once, but that doesn't mean it'll happen again!"

"Don't get arrogant, Nasser," Ruo insisted. "What from we heard about him, he's pretty strong. The worst mistake we can make is underestimating the enemy."

"He's right," Math agreed. "We need to be careful around him should he be there."

Kura was feeling the urge to tell them who was really here, but he couldn't. Even now, he was still doubtful of Ozpin's decision to have MRRN come here, especially after the claims of Valkoin being here. He was not a vicious brute like Nachtfel, but he was extremely dangerous in his own way with his immense intelligence.

However, if he told Team MRRN about Valkoin, it would sow serious doubts in Ozpin for them. They would be troubled, maybe furious, that their Headmaster would send them on a mission where they could encounter a villain they had no chance against.

" _We'll be arriving in just a few minutes,"_ the pilot informed everyone. Alan looked around the landscape and found high ground among some rocks and boulders that would make a stellar location for a camp.

"Land us there," Alan ordered.

"Got it," the pilot obeyed. He flew to the rocks, hovering above a dry patch of ground perfect for making camp and scouting the area. Kura gave the sign for everyone to jump; after he did, they all followed suit, with Math and Nasser carrying the bags of their supplies, and the bullhead left.

"Here's where we'll make camp," Alan informed as he put a small device among the rocks.

"A tracker," Math pointed out.

"Yes," Kura confirmed. "The outpost is somewhere within a fifteen mile radius, but we are not to engage any enemies we encounter other than Grimm. Robin and Ruo, I will be depending on you two the most for scouting, which means Math, Nasser and I will handle most of the fighting if necessary."

"At least we get to fight something," Nasser commented.

"We need to avoid fighting when possible," Kura explained. "On this mission, fighting is strictly a last resort."

"Because we could alert the Iron Knights to our presence?" Math asked.

"That's our top reason," Alan explained. "If they're here, then there's no telling how many there are. Our team alone won't be enough to face them head-on."

"Then what are your orders?" the White Tiger Faunus asked.

"Activate your Scrolls and link them to the tracker," Alan ordered. "Once it starts getting dark, it may become much harder to find our way back to the campsite." All of Team MRRN took out their scrolls and linked them to Kura's tracker, giving off a steady beeping sound.

"Is everyone ready?" Kura asked, which they all confirmed. "Then let's move."

-0-

Kura, Robin and Ruo led while Math and Nasser stayed in the back in case Grimm attacked from behind. All of them had their weapons brandished for any attacks that could come at them.

"Do you see anything?" Alan asked Robin. The archer used his Semblance to look into the distance, seeing some old ruins, but the walls were too high to see beyond them.

"I see some ruins, but the walls are too high to see anything," the archer informed. "I'd say that's a good place to check out."

"How far?" Math asked.

"Looks like…five miles from here," Robin answered.

"Is there a high vantage point?" Kura asked. Robin looked around, where he found the perfect spot to look down at the ruins without being spotted.

"There is," Robin confirmed. "It looks perfect."

"Good," Alan commented. "Lead the way."

Robin took the front, leading the group to the vantage point. After being about an hour away from the vantage point, the fatigue and cost of stamina caught up to them and they sat down on some rocks to catch their breath.

"Let's hope this isn't just a colossal waste of time," Nasser spoke as he ate one of the snacks Kura brought. "You said it yourself, Professor. We don't even know if those Iron Knight assholes are actually here. Who told you this anyway?"

"The VSU got one of the Iron Knights to confess about the outpost here," Kura informed. "Whether it was a lie or legitimate…that's why we're here. It's too much for us to just ignore, especially with how they've been posing a big problem to Vale's Huntsmen."

"How hard has it been for them?" Math asked. "The Huntsmen?"

"The Iron Knights are doing a good job covering their tracks while killing around half a dozen Huntsmen every week," Alan informed solemnly. "Huntsmen aren't the only ones they're targeting; they've been also going after Schnee Dust Company associates in Vale."

"Well, they're also at war with the SDC from what I heard from our uncle," Robin replied. "Have they actually killed any of the associates in Vale?"

"One, especially," Kura answered. "Adrian Lapis. He was the one who spout the idea to Jacques Schnee of raising the price of Fire Dust in Atlas."

"But Fire Dust is a need up there," Math exclaimed. "Exactly how high is the price of Fire Dust up there?"

"When Nicholas Schnee ran the company, they could afford enough to keep themselves warm for months," Alan explained. "With Jacques…those in poverty can barely afford one." Math growled in contempt, not hiding his immense hatred for people like Jacques Schnee.

"Well, it's official," Nasser proclaimed. "Atlas is full of assholes."

"Will you watch your language?" Alan demanded. Nasser just shrugged.

"What happened to Adrian?" Ruo questioned.

"Well…it's sick," Kura admitted. "A large box was found on the VSU's parking lot. When they opened it…they not only burned Adrian's body, but then chopped it into pieces. They also left a note in the box saying 'You're welcome'."

"Ugh," Math replied with disgust. "Sounds like they really wanted him to suffer."

"They did want him to suffer…and they succeeded," Kura responded.

Ruo's ear perked up from a slight rustle he heard from a good distance away. He got up onto his feet and looked in the direction of the noise.

"What is it?" Math asked.

"I think we're being watched," Ruo answered. Robin activated his Semblance, checking for heat signatures.

"There's nothing there," the archer pointed out. "It could be the wind." The Faunus was not convinced of this; there's no way it was merely the sound of the wind. The White Tiger looked again, knowing something was out there.

"Does your heat tracking detect Grimm?" the Faunus asked his teammate. Robin used his Semblance again; this time, looking for even the slightest movement.

"Wait," Robin exclaimed, rising from to his feet. "I see-"

A Raptor Grimm leapt from the shadows onto Kura and pinned him to the ground. He used his spear to force the Grimm off him before stabbing it through its head.

A mass amount of purrs and snarls could be heard from all around the group, meaning only one things; the Raptors had surrounded them. After making themselves visible to the group, Math counted about twelve of them.

"Let's take them!" he ordered as he unsheathed Claiomh Solais and slashed a pouncing Raptor in half. Another one opened its mouth, ready to bite the swordsman; Math cleaved its mouth in half, followed by impaling it through its back.

Ruo slashed at the attacking Raptor's head with a Fire infused claw, slashing again with an Earth infused, knocking it to the ground. He then drove his claws into its throat and twisted it before dodging the pounce of another Raptor.

Robin flipped over one of the Raptors, shooting it with two Fire Dust arrows and taking it out almost immediately. He transformed Sharp Shot into its sword form and unleashed a frenzy of slashes on another Raptor, killing it when he slashed its head off.

"Come and get some, you Grimm bastards!" Nasse taunted as he extended Shafarnasr's chains and threw one onto a Raptor, crushing it into the ground. He then swung them in opposite directions taking out two more with his Semblance.

Alan twirled his spear, hitting two of the Raptors surrounding him. One of them pounced at him, only to land on the spearhead and be thrown at the other one. After recovering the other Raptor snarled at him and ran off now that all of its other pack members had been killed.

"Get back here!" Nasser growled, but Kura stopped him.

"Leave it," he insisted. "Raptors flee when all of its pack members are dead. It won't bother us again." Team MRRN put their weapons away along with Professor Kura.

After having a little more time to rest, everyone moved out and continued on their way to the vantage point. By now, it was early evening, meaning they had to hurry.

"So, if we confirm that the Iron Knights are here, what then?" Math asked the professional Huntsman.

"We return to Beacon and inform Ozpin," Kura answered. "Depending on what we find will determine our next course of action."

"What if there's nothing here?" Ruo suggested. "That Knight may've lied to get us to go on a wild goose chase."

"Again, which is why we're here," Kura repeated.

By the time they reached the vantage point, there was still enough sunlight for everyone to see clearly. Robin activated his Semblance, checking long distance, heat tracing, and electrical tracing; to his absolute surprise, nothing was there.

"There's nothing," Robin informed.

"What?" Math asked in disbelief.

"There's nothing or no one there," the archer repeated. "No weaponry, no people, no devices…nothing. Those ruins are completely empty."

"Great," Nasser groaned. "We came all this way for nothing."

"Not quite," Kura argued. "We only checked one area; we still need to check others as well."

"Starting to feel we're just on a wild goose chase," Math expressed. "But not going to rule them being here out yet."

"It'll be dark soon," Kura informed. "We'll get back to camp and continue our search in the morning."

"Sounds good," Ruo concurred. "I'm tired."

-0-

The sun had already set when Team MRRN arrived back at camp. Math got together some firewood, put on a perfectly flat rock, and then surrounded the wood with smaller rocks. Ruo activated the Fire Dust in Huzhao and slashed a small wave of flame at the wood, starting the fire.

"Your Dust abilities are very impressive, Ruo," Kura complimented.

"Thank you, sir," the Faunus replied as he sat down and pulled out some of the food Kura had brought.

"What've we got?" Math asked as he drank some of his water.

"I brought a bit of everything," Kura answered. Ruo reached into the bag and pulled out some cold, cooked meat and handed an adequate piece to everyone. All of them took a sharp stick, placed the meat on them and held them over the fire to warm them up.

"Who'll take first watch?" Kura asked Team MRRN.

"I will," Robin volunteered. "My Semblance is perfect for scouting and keeping watch."

"I'll relieve him after he's done," Math spoke as he inspected his blade.

"Very well," Kura replied. "Don't stay up too late. We need to get up at first light to continue our recon."

"Yeah, sure," Nasser yawned as he took a bite from his meat.

"Do you always speak to your professors like this?" Kura questioned Nasser.

"Only when I'm bored, tired or don't care," he replied.

"Nas," Math spoke with an annoyed tone.

"All right, all right," the knife user responded. "I'm just saying we could be out here for nothing, which really ticks me off that we may be wasting our time."

"Honestly, I agree with Nasser," Math concurred. "There's been no evidence of them during the time we've been here. We're pretty much…well, looking around only because one of their one may've said it to save themselves."

Kura sighed. Math and Nasser had made it perfectly clear that they were very doubtful of their presence here.

"Maybe we are wasting our time," he admitted. "But maybe we're not. Ozpin told us that we don't find anything within a few days, we'll go back to Beacon."

"Then hopefully we'll find something," Ruo responded as he ate the last bit of meat he had.

After a little more conversation about the mission, everyone decided to turn in for the night with Robin taking first watch. He looked down from the hill, using his Semblance every now and then to see if anything or anyone was coming up the hill.

It felt like forever as he watched the area and took glances at his sleeping teammates. Ruo was sleeping with a purr like a cat, since he was a feline Faunus. Nasser was sleeping in his bag the other way, his feet sticking out while his head was inside. Math was just snoring, sleeping like a rock.

Robin opened his scroll to check the time, reading 12:54. He only had about an hour left before he'd be relieved by his cousin for watch.

"You awake, Math?" he asked.

"I am now," Math responded. "Is it my turn?"

"You've got about an hour left," the archer answered. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," the swordsman replied as he sat up.

"Do you still trust Ozpin after what I've said?" the archer asked. "Normally, things don't bother me, but…that stuff relating to Ozpin is still going around in my head."

"I'll admit, I'm a little suspicious too," the autistic leader admitted. "It sounded like Ozpin knew Ruby lied about the hideout in the southeast and stopped Goodwitch from pointing it out. Why would he do that?"

"And why would he wait to tell us what's actually happening up here?" Nasser added as he woke up and pulled his head from his bag. "Why not just tell us from the start?"

"Ozpin did always strike me as the enigmatic type," Ruo spoke, having been woken by his teammates' conversation. "When I came to Vale and he offered me entrance into Beacon, he seemed so…secretive, mysterious, and...a bit dishonest."

"A bit dishonest?" Nasser asked. "Guys, he straight up lied to us. He knew Iron Knights could possibly be here and instead just told us it was 'disturbances'."

"I'm leaning more towards he only told us half the truth," Robin said.

"No, I'm with Nasser," Math argued. "It feels more like Ozpin lied to us."

"That's enough," Kura spoke out as he got onto his feet, his tone firm and leaving no room for nonsense. "Ozpin has to make hard decisions every day that can determine what happens to Vale and Beacon. Sometimes, he has to keep secrets. Sometimes, he cannot tell the whole truth. I can understand if you four are frustrated at this, but I do not want to hear you bashing your Headmaster."

"Well, maybe he shouldn't have lied to us," Nasser argued. "Don't get mad at us for-"

"Quiet," Kura demanded, holding out his hand.

"Don't do that to him," Math protested. "Nasser may be-"

"I said quiet!" Kura repeated. "Get your weapons." All of them looked down from their campsite, but found nothing. Robin activated his Semblance's heat tracing, finding faint signatures from below.

"He's right," Robin informed. "There's someone down there."

"I'll take lead," Alan ordered as he readied his spear and slowly walked down from the campsite, the students following after him.

"Where's the heat signature?" Kura asked the archer.

"It's…still faint," Robin replied, confused. "Are they moving away?"

"Possibly," the Professor assumed. "Which direction?"

"Left." The professor and four students stayed together as they approached the heat signature. It wasn't long before they approached the source of it.

"Is that…a dead body?" Ruo questioned.

"The heat signature wasn't faint because they were moving…it was because they were dying," Robin concluded. "But where did this body come from?"

"They had to be some kind of traveler," Math assumed as he turned on his scroll's flashlight to examine the wounds. Strangely, there were no bite marks, no claw wounds; nothing indicating a Grimm attack.

"I think Iron Knights may be here after all," he said. "This person wasn't killed by a Grimm, but I can't find what killed him." Alan approached the body and slowly turned it over; he felt his heart sink into his stomach.

"This…this is a Huntsman!" he exclaimed. He examined the body and found…wires attached to him. Before he could even give out the order to run, the wires lashed from the body and wrapped themselves around Alan, pulling him away from the students.

"Professor!" Math cried out as he took off after him, his teammates following him.

-0-

Alan felt himself being dragged by the wires for several moments until after he was pulled into the air by his feet, hanging off a tree branch. A low chuckle was heard as a figure emerged from the shadows.

"Well, well, well," Valkoin chuckled, holding the wires with his left gauntlet. "I thought you'd be smart enough to avoid my trap. How disappointing."

"You ARE here," Alan gasped.

"Oh, so that Iron Knight gave you quite a bite of information, did he not?" the wire master chuckled. Kura's eyes widened at the realization.

"You knew we were coming?" he asked.

"Oh, but of course," Valkoin answered. "I mean, I was the one who told him to tell you. I knew Ozpin would only send a small team."

"Where are the Iron Knights here?" Kura demanded to know.

"No, no, no, that's not why you're here," Valkoin dismissed. "You're here because you have information I want. Something you can't say over the scroll."

"Like this!?" Nasser shouted as he charged at Valkoin. Instead of hitting him, he hit a barrier of wires instead, completely blocking his attack.

"Don't bother trying to break those wires," the white haired man replied. "These are composed of Invicta metal."

"Invicta?!" Math gasped. "That's impossible! It doesn't exist!"

"What is Invicta?" Robin asked.

"A metal that, if tempered correctly, cannot be destroyed or damaged by any means," the swordsman answered. "Until now, I thought it was just a myth."

"Myths aren't supposed to stop reckless attacks, so I'm not regretful to say you're wrong," Valkoin condescended.

"Who are you?" Ruo demanded to know, preparing Huzhao.

"Someone you should be very careful around," Valkoin answered. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not what you should be worrying about." He pointed to the back of him.

"They are. Knights, attack!" All of Team MRRN got behind cover as a barrage of bullets fired at them. Valkoin smirked as he brought Kura closer to him and then somehow created a white and purple circle in the air. He then walked through it, dragging Alan behind him despite his best to attempts to escape Valkoin's wires.

"No!" Math called out as he activated Dionach and used it to block the bullets while rushing to get his professor. Sadly, just as he was about to reach his hand outside the circle, it vanished.

"Damnit!" the swordsman snarled before a bullet hit him and caused his Aura to shimmer from the attack.

"There's too many of them!" Robin called, using his heat tracing to find dozens of them opening fire at the four students.

"We're sitting ducks here," Math pointed out as they were in plain sight and the Knights had the advantage of staying hidden in the dark except from Robin. "We need to move."

"What about Kura?" Nasser asked. "We can't just leave him with that asshole!"

"First, let's get rid or escape these assholes and then find the one who took Kura," Math responded. "Robin, Ruo, you go one way. Nasser and I will go the other. Shake these guys off or take them out. Either way, we've got to lose them."

"Be careful guys," Ruo said before he and Robin ran one way and Math and Nasser ran the other.

"Hunt them down!" the Crusher growled as he put his rifle on his back and took out his Axe Hammer. "We'll have their heads!"


	15. Survival

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **VOLUME 2, CHAPTER 15: Survival**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

Math and Nasser ran through the darkened forest, doing whatever they could to lose the Iron Knights after them. Sadly, it was becoming increasing harder to tell where they were going, but they couldn't risk turning on their lights, which would make it easier for their pursuers to find them. Finally, they took cover behind a tree, taking the moment to catch their breath.

"Damn, those guys don't quit do they?" Nasser pointed out.

"And there's more than we thought," Math added. "Bloody hell, there must be a hundred of them. We can't risk taking them head-on; they know how to fight Huntsmen. It'd just be a suicide charge."

"Then what can we do?" Nasser questioned. "We can't run forever nor can we abandon Kura to that…psycho."

"We won't be able to do either if we're dead," the swordsman pointed out. "If we fight them, we need to go somewhere where we have the advantage over them."

"Where would that be?" the knife user asked. Math thought for a second, thinking about anything the Knights had they could use against them.

"We have to get them all together, force them to huddle up," the swordsman decided. "We're sitting ducks because they're spread out all over the place. We need to get them somewhere where we can get them all grouped up together. It may be our only chance. Let's go!"

-0-

Robin and Ruo quickly climbed one of the trees and didn't move a muscle afterwards in fear of being heard. The archer activated his Semblance, tracking multiple heat signatures not far behind them.

"Man, there's got to be dozens of them," he assumed. "There's too many of them for us to fight."

"I just hope Mathdon and Nasser are okay," the White Tiger Faunus whispered. "Professor Kura as well."

"For all we know, that guy took him back to their hideout," Robin pointed out. "But we have no idea what that guy's Semblance is like. He could be in Mistral or Atlas by now."

"Here they come," Ruo warned. The Iron Knights rushed past them, not bothering to look up the tree where the two students were hiding from their pursuers. When they were certain the Iron Knights were far off, the two warriors leapt off the tree and onto the ground.

"They might come back," Ruo pointed out.

"I know," Robin replied. "Let's get out of here before they find us." The two took off, but not before Ruo stopped as his ear perked up.

"What is it?" the archer asked his Faunus teammate.

"I hear…water," he explained. "I think there's a waterfall nearby. If we can get there, it'd serve as great cover from the Knights."

"Worth a shot," Robin agreed. "Lead the way!" Ruo nodded his head and started on his way, following the sound of the waterfall and hoping his other two teammates were still okay.

-0-

"This'll be good," Math decided as he viewed a path through the forest, where and Nasser had plenty of cover." If we can lure them, we can pick them off easily."

"Hit and run tactics?" Nasser asked.

"Something like that," the swordsman answered. Suddenly, footsteps were heard and the two of them could immediately tell it was the Iron Knights.

"Go further down," Math whispered to his teammate. "We need to stay spread out."

"Sure," Nasser agreed.

"Remember, hit and run," Math repeated. "Don't stay out in the open for too long."

"We'll be fine," the knife user replied before going further down and taking cover behind one of the trees. They waited for a while, listening as the Iron Knights came in closer and closer, lead by the Knight wielding the Axe Hammer.

-0-

Robin and Ruo kept moving towards the sound of the waterfall, while the archer kept using his Semblance to check for the Iron Knights who were still pursuing them. It seemed for now they were doing a good job staying ahead of their pursuers, but they knew too well they could easily walk into an ambush.

"I hope Math and Nasser are okay," Ruo spoke.

"They're skilled fighters," Robin assured. "I'm pretty sure they'll be okay."

"There they are!" an Iron Knight called out. Robin quickly took out Sharp Shot, nocked an arrow and shot the Knight in the chest. To their horror, more Knights were coming in their direction, led by one with a square shield and shotgun.

"We need to move!" Ruo reminded as the two of them rushed to get out of their sight. They barely moved a few feet before bullets were being fired at them, which they managed to dodge by taking cover behind trees and other obstacles. The Knight with the shotgun, who they caught the others calling the Blaster, ordered the Knights to hold fire.

"You'll waste your ammo!" he pointed out. "Only fire when you've got a clear shot. Their Auras are protecting them; we need that ammo to deplete it before we can kill them."

"What are your orders?" one of the Knights asked.

"Split up!" the Blaster commanded. "They'll stay together. We need to surround them before they can escape. Half of you, go another way and cut them off while we continue pursuing them."

"Understood," one of the Knights obeyed as he and several others broke off from the group.

-0-

"Where'd they go?" one of the Knights asked, looking around.

"They're nearby," the Crusher responded. "They won't get far." A shotgun blast was heard, taking out one of the Knights. Before they could react, a chain strike took out three of them, pounding them into the ground.

"Where'd that come from?" one of the Knights asked.

"They're nearby," the Crusher pointed out. This time, a sword with a glowing brown light shred its way through the center of the group, either severely wounding or killing those in its path. The sword then disappeared into the forest before any of the Knights could grab it.

Another chain strike took out some of their soldiers, this time hitting them with a side attack, sending them flying into the tree trunks and high ground. They were unprepared for another flying sword attack as it glowed brighter and impaled itself into the ground, causing a brown-colored explosion. All of the Knights nearest to the blade went flying, decreasing their numbers horrifically. Mathdon and Nasser took this opportunity to now attack in the open.

The swordsman retrieved his weapon, deflecting the bullets from one of the standing soldiers before getting close, knocking the rifle aside and slicing his stomach. Another one unsheathed his blade and rushed at Math, who blocked the attack with Dionach. He followed it with an upward strike, hitting his stomach, and then downward on his back.

Nasser kinetically charged his knives and slammed them into several standing Knights before swinging them in a circle to take out the Knights surrounding him. Another one rushed at him with a baton, but Nasser knocked it aside with one knife and then stabbed him with the other.

"You Huntsmen are all the same," the Crusher growled after all of the Knights present were down for the count. "Murderers, hypocrites-"

"Are you serious!?" Nasser called out. "You're the ones who tried to kill us! We killed them in defense of ourselves!"

"So who's the hypocrite now, asshole?" Math insulted.

"Shouldn't that be my line?" Nasser asked as he stood by Math across from the Crusher.

"It doesn't matter," the Crusher denied. "Valkoin has what he wants. Now, we get to kill you in the most painful ways possible."

"We?" Math asked. Both of the students looked behind them and could see that more Iron Knights were on their way.

"Do you really think I'd be stupid enough to bring my entire force?" the Knight chuckled. "Prepared to die!"

"Pass!" Math dismissed. "Nas!"

"On it!" the knife user responded. He grabbed Math's arm and rushed them out o the area using his kinetic Semblance to launch them in an immense boost of speed. When Nas let go, it seemed to them that they had managed to lose them.

"If that's how many we're up against, then maybe we should go and find Robin and Ruo," Math suggested. "Maybe splitting up was a bad idea."

"We divided their attention," Nasser pointed out. "At least Robin and Ruo won't be up against all of them."

"Still, we should find them now," the swordsman insisted. "Before we do, what is that whistling?" He thought for a moment before it clicked in his head.

"Rockets!" Math shouted as he saw two of them aimed right for him and Nasser. "Get down!"

Explosion. Right between them.

Both of their Auras shimmered heavily from the force of the explosion. Both of them struggled to get up; even though their Auras were active, they still felt the immense pain from being nearly hit with a rocket.

Math was the first onto his feet, using Claiomh Solais to help him up. When he was certain he was able to stand, he strolled over to Nasser, who leaned against a tree, covering his torso in pain.

"That hurt…like hell," the knife user commented. "Seriously. Rockets?"

"They're determined to kill us by any means," Math assumed as he helped Nasser from the tree, putting his arm on his shoulder.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Math groaned as he helped Nasser get to a safer spot. Math felt a blunt force on the back of his knee, making him fall and let go of Nasser. They tried to reach for their weapons, but the Iron Knights pinned them to the ground. In their weakened states from the force of the rockets, it was too much for either of them.

"Hello," the Crusher greeted. "You two gave us a good chase, but now we get to kill the both of you."

"Go to hell," Math growled as he tried to get up, but the Iron Knights kept him down.

"That's where I'm…huh?" the Crusher looked past them to see a hooded figure standing among the trees.

-0-

"Did you hear that?" Robin asked Ruo. "Were those…rockets?"

"Sounds like it," Ruo concurred. "Those must've been used on Math and Nasser. And if that happened…"

"We have to find them," Robin decided. Before they could move, a shotgun shell hit Ruo and his white aura shimmered from the attack. The Blaster had caught up with them.

"You're not going anywhere," he growled. "It's been a while since I've killed any Huntsmen and I'm not going to pass up the chance."

"Well, good luck catching us!" Robin taunted as he dodged a shot from the Blaster. He then pulled out his bow and fired a Smoke Bomb arrow at the Blaster, allowing the two of them to escape from his line of fire.

"After them!" the Blaster ordered as he and his men looked around for the archer and martial artist.

"We have to get to Math and Nasser," Robin insisted. "They could be in trouble."

"Can you find them?" Ruo asked his teammate. Robin activated his Semblance for long distance and then heat tracking, hoping to find his teammates. Sadly, he could see nothing beyond the dark trees and they must've been too far for his heat tracking to find.

"Where are they?" he wondered. "We need to at least find the site where the rockets hit!"

Just then, four electric cables were lashed at the two students. They managed to dodge the first attack, but realized those were just a distraction for eight more to attach to them. The cables electrocuted them, depleting their Auras from the constant damage. Even after their Auras were depleted, it didn't stop the Knights from continuing to electrocute them.

"Stop," the Blaster commanded. The Knights retracted their electric cables from the two students. Robin tried to reach for Sharp Shot, but the leading Knight stomped on his wrist, making him yell in pain.

"Take away their Aura and a Huntsman is nothing," the Blaster stoically spoke as he loaded two shotgun shells into his firearm. "Once we're done with you, every Huntsman in Vale will meet the same fate."

"Hundreds of Huntsmen will stand in your way," Ruo defied. "You cannot kill every last one of them."

"We will," the Blaster responded. "When we're done, the world will never see another Huntsman or Huntress ever again." He cocked his weapon and aimed at the archer's head, ready to fire at point-blank range.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound was heard…and a small rocket exploded in the center of the Knights. Those closest to the blast were killed while the rest were knocked back.

"What was that?" the Blaster gasped. "Was that a misfire?!"

"No, it wasn't!" a deep voice called from the dark. Before the Knights could react, several arrows were shot in their direction, killing five of them. They were completely taken by surprise by this attack, making them easy targets for the unknown fighter's arrows and another rocket.

After the second rocket was launched, a figure emerged from the forest while the knights were distracted. He was shown to be at Robin's height with long silver hair, green eyes, a very athletic build, and a quiver on his back and a double bow in his left hand. The last detail they caught was the snow fox tail, identifying him as a Faunus.

"Let's move!" he told them. Robin and Ruo had no idea who he was, but they'd rather take their chances with him instead of staying in the open with the Knights. Robin managed to retrieve Sharp Shot and then he and Ruo followed the snow fox Faunus out of the opening and into the forest.

Immediately, they caught up with another person, this time someone at a very short height of possibly 4'11 with a balding head, brown eyes and a long red beard. His weapon was a rocket launcher with two axe blades on both sides near where the rockets are inserted.

"Who are you?" Ruo asked them.

"We'll answer questions once we've reached safety," the Snow Fox Faunus answered. "For now, we must lose them." The two students followed them deep into the forest, where they hoped they were indeed being taken to safety.

-0-

The hooded figure made one movement: his right hand reached for the hilt of his sword. One of the Knights fired at him; the hooded warrior quickly unsheathed his blade and deflected the bullets before rushing to them and using his now activated gauntlet to send the Knight flying into a tree.

"Kill them!" the Crusher ordered, gesturing to Mathdon and Nasser. Before they could pull their triggers, the hooded swordsman knocked their firearms aside with a swipe of his blade and then slashed their torsos, causing them to fall onto their backs and die.

"Get your weapons!" Math told Nasser. The two of them took the opportunity to get their weapons and fight the Knights alongside the hooded warrior.

Math charged at the Crusher, knocking him off balance with Dionach and then slashing with Claiomh Solais. The Knight blocked his attack and swung at him with his weapon several times, which the swordsman used Dionach to block them all. The Crusher then swung at his head, prompting Math to duck and then slash at his legs, cutting deeply into his right.

Nasser used his Semblance and brought his kinetically charged chains down on several Knights, crushing them into the ground. Two Knights charges at him with swords, which Nasser easily blocked. He knocked both their blades aside before impaling their stomachs with his knives.

As Math knocked the Crusher to the ground, he looked over to the hooded warrior, who was easily taking out any Iron Knights who came his way. He immediately recognized him from his weapon, Rohkeus, the eagle of the star symbol on his gauntlet and his overall skill.

Another rocket was heard. The two students saw this and quickly ran for cover behind trees. The Knights closest to the blast were killed, but the hooded warrior managed to get behind cover as well and be shielded from the blast.

"Let's get out of here!" the warrior shouted to Math and Nasser. "More Knights are on their way!"

"Like hell we'll go anywhere with you!" Nasser shouted.

"Nas, I know him!" Math claimed. "We can trust him! Let's go!" Nasser groaned before meeting up with Math and the two took off with the warrior following them.

"This way!" the hooded man pointed out as he leapt in front of them and went right, the two students following him. After several minutes of running, the two met up with Robin and Ruo, who were with a Snow Fox Faunus and a short, bearded man.

"Math! Nasser!" Robin called out as he rushed to them. "Are you two okay?"

"We're fine," Math assured. "What about you and Ruo?"

"We're fine too," the archer replied. "These guys saved us." Math looked over to them and nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Thanks," he spoke.

"Let's save thanks for later," the hooded warrior insisted. "We have a hideout nearby. We'll take you there and you can explain what's going on."

"I will, Forest," Math replied, giving out the hooded man's name. He smiled and removed his hood, showing his green eyes and the rest of his feather dirty blonde hair.

"Wait, you know him?" Nasser asked.

"We should wait for introductions," Forest replied. "We need to get to the hideout before more Knights find us." He took lead as the group ran into the forest as the morning sun started to dawn.

-0-

"Comfortable?" Valkoin asked Alan, who was being held to the wall by his wires in a cell. "I hope so."

"No, you don't," Kura denied, feeling groggy and worn out.

"Oh, I do," Valkoin insisted. "I'll need you to be comfortable so you can tell me what I want to know."

"I won't tell you anything," Kura replied defiantly. The wire user sighed in annoyance before turning away from the professor.

"Is that so?" he asked. He closed his fist, tightening the wires around Kura's arms, torso, legs, and neck, causing him immense pain and made it difficult for him to breathe. After a few moments, Valkoin released his grip and his wires loosed around Kura.

"What are you doing here?" Alan questioned. "What does Salem want with the Iron Knights?" Valkoin chuckled lowly before turning back around to look at Alan through his shades.

"I'm sorry," he callously apologized. "You must've mistaken me for an egotist, narcissist…something like that?"

"What?" Kura asked, raising an eyebrow.

"There's always the slightest chance of things going wrong and I certainly will not be responsible for it," Valkoin claimed. "If you wish to know why I'm here or whatever we're planning, then guess correctly or break free of the wires and find out for yourself. But for now, I need some questions answered."

"Is that why you told that Knight to tell us where the outpost was?" Kura asked. "So you could ask a few questions?"

"Well, you certainly wouldn't accept my calls just to chat," Valkoin responded. "But enough of chit chat. I want answers." He knelt down and made Alan face him.

"I know Ozpin has the Fall Maiden somewhere," he started. "We don't know where, but we know that your drunken associate, Qrow Branwen, found her. Tell me where the Maiden is and I'll deliver you to Salem unspoiled."

"I won't tell you anything," Kura refused.

"I'd think very carefully about your answer," Valkoin responded. "Torture is not my forte, but these Knights would love to give you a good thrashing…or what if I turned you over to Salem? Surely, she could get you to talk." Alan narrowed his eyes at the wire user and freed his face from his grasp.

"I won't betray Ozpin," Kura decided. Valkoin chuckled again, this time erupting into a laugh as he stood up and gave a condescending look to Kura.

"Do you think Ozpin cares about you or anyone other than himself?" Valkoin asked. "He sees all of his students, all of his professors, even his closest allies as expendable pawns for his war. It's very pitiful of him when he preaches about saving lives when he won't hesitate to send out others to die so he can claim a victory."

"And you think Salem's any better?" Alan asked in disbelief. "If that's how you see Ozpin, then all you did was trade one monster for another."

"Well, she doesn't preach about saving lives, does she?" the wire user countered. "I've learned something these past few years: in a war, it's not about who's better. It's about who will win."

"Salem will never win," Kura spoke.

"You honestly think Ozpin can beat Salem?" Valkoin questioned. "He's too worried about subtlety and sends out barely trained students when he could send professionals. He overestimates those children, which is why he willingly sends them on missions they cannot handle, such as this one." He then smirked.

"By now, those boys are probably dead. The Iron Knights don't take prisoners after all." Just then, the door to Kura's cell opened up.

"We lost them," the Blaster informed beside the Crusher. Valkoin's taunting smile changed into one of stern discipline.

"They got away?" he asked for clarification. "You're telling me your Knights cannot handle four students?"

"That's not what happened," the Crusher claimed. "Warriors came out of nowhere and attacked us." Valkoin sighed.

"Do you at least know who these warriors are?" he questioned.

"I only saw one and they were probably a Snow Fox Faunus," the Blaster answered. Valkoin's eyes widened a little.

"I didn't see his face, but I saw his symbol," the Crusher added. "It looked like an eagle with a…"

"Star?" Valkoin finished.

"Yes," the Crusher confirmed. The wire user was silent for a moment, standing nearly still like a statue with his stoic expression.

"Forest Kotka." Those two words left his lips softly, but loud enough for the two commanding Knights to hear.

"You know him?" the Crusher asked.

"Well enough," Valkoin answered. "If he's here, then it's only a matter of time before he finds our hideout. He and his compatriots must not be allowed to interfere. Take out a patrol and find them."

"Understood," the Blaster responded.

"Do not underestimate him and his team," Valkoin warned. "Those students were merely a nuisance. Forest is a problem."

"We'll get him," the Blaster assured before leaving the cell.

"Crusher," Valkoin addressed. "Bring some of your friends here. Mr. Kura doesn't feel like talking, but I need him to answer my questions. Do me a favor and rough him up until he feels like answering, okay?"

"With pleasure," the Crusher answered before going to the door and shouting "Who wants to give this Huntsman a good beating?" Valkoin smiled as he started to walk out.

"Don't kill him unless I say so," the wire master warned. "If I come back here and I find him dead…well, do you know what it feels like to have your heart ripped apart from the inside out?" The Crusher looked at him very nervously before shaking his head.

"From what I've seen, it's very unpleasant," the wire user explained. "As I said, don't kill him." The wire user then left the cell and smirked as he knew the Iron Knights would not hold back in giving Alan a severe beating.

"It's only a matter of time now," Valkoin spoke as he walked down the hallway of the abandoned underground station he was in. "If Forest finds his way here, our plan will be in jeopardy. I must warn Salem."


	16. New Plans

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **Volume 2, Chapter 16: New Plans**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

"So you're Math's mentor?" Ruo asked Forest after they arrived at the underground cave, all of them sitting around a fire.

"Yes," Forest confirmed as he tended to the flames. "How much did you tell them, Math?"

"Everything," the leader of Team MRRN answered. "They know about everything. I've nothing to hide from them."

"What about you two?" Nasser asked, gesturing to the bearded axe wielder and Snow Fox Faunus.

"These are my teammates, Sterling Silver and Ruadh Davis," Forest introduced. "What about you?"

"These are my cousin, Robin, along with Ruo-Jian Bai Hu and Nasser Achdarr," Math reciprocated the introduction.

"What brings you here this far north?" Sterling asked as he tended to his bow.

"Ozpin sent us here to investigate 'disturbances'," Math answered, putting emphasis on the last word in his sentence. "What he didn't tell us was that he suspected Iron Knights were up here; we found out after we had left Beacon. He wanted us to confirm that they had an outpost in these parts. Turns out he was right." Forest gripped the stick he had tightly after hearing this.

" _Just like Ozpin,"_ he thought to himself. _"He sees everyone as expendable pawns in his conflict. He has the nerve to send them up here and only letting them know what they're up against when they cannot turn back? How many times has he kept vital information from those who follow him?"_

"Forest?" Math called. The master swordsman shook his head and gave an assuring look to his pupil.

"I'm fine," he spoke. "Ozpin would've sent you with a professional Huntsman. What happened?"

"Alan Kura was sent with us," Robin answered. "When we were ambushed by the Iron Knights, he was taken by some guy who could use wires. He opened some kind of portal and took him through."

"Wires?" Ruadh asked. Robin nodded his head in confirmation.

"We have to find him," Math insisted. "I don't know where he is, but we can't just leave him-"

"We won't," Forest sternly assured. "That portal couldn't have taken him far. It would take a lot of energy just to make it."

"You know him?" the brown swordsman asked his mentor.

"Yes," he answered. "His name is Valkoin. He's as dangerous as he is cunning."

"So his Semblance allows him to create portals?" Ruo asked.

"It's a little more complicated than that," Sterling replied. "Valkoin's Semblance allows him to convert dark matter into something he can manipulate. As you saw, he can manipulate dark matter and transform it into a portal, which is one of the most tiring on him."

"Does it drain his Aura?" Math asked.

"No," Ruadh answered. "Instead, the more dark matter he converts at once, the more strain he puts on his mind and body."

"He can basically transform dark matter into any shape he prefers, including walls, weapons, and solid shapes," Sterling added. "This, along with his mastery of those wires he has, makes him a very dangerous man."

"We've seen his wires in action once," Ruo spoke. "What exactly can he do with them?"

"Create barriers, traps, tripwires, and even solid metal shapes," Forest answered. "Usually, he prefers spears or stabbing weapons, but he can also make throwing knives, axes, blades, and body armor."

"Geez," Nasser commented. "Sounds like he's a real pain in the ass to fight."

"He's certainly extremely dangerous," Forest confirmed. "But I can only imagine horrible things are in motion if he's working with the Iron Knights."

"Do you really think that?" Math asked.

"Lad, Valkoin is one of the most dangerous warriors we've encountered," Ruadh spoke. "He may be arrogant and treacherous, but he is very intelligent."

"Maybe it could have something to do with the attack on the Vytal Committee?" Ruo suggested.

"Vytal Committee?" Forest asked.

"On the night of the event, Iron Knights posed as Atlesian soldiers and took the patrons hostage, killing the SDC associate in the process," Math explained. "Their real goal was for their leader, Nachtfel, to hack the Huntsmen Records and gain information on every Huntsman and Huntress in Vale. Luckily, we were able to stop him."

"Nachtfel himself is in Vale?" Sterling asked. "You saw him?"

"And fought him, Math and I," Nasser added. "Unfortunately, we…didn't beat him."

"You know about Nachtfel?" the autistic swordsman asked Forest.

"I've seen him…and fought him," the eagle-themed warrior answered. "The Iron Knights know absolutely nothing of his real identity. He's a complete mystery, even to his own followers."

"What's not mysterious about him is that he wants to kill every Huntsman in Remnant," Math spoke.

"He firmly believes that Huntsmen are the true source of corruption and evil in the world and will not stop until every Huntsman is dead," Sterling explained. "All of those who follow him firmly believe in his goals. They don't follow him out of fear, but out of loyalty."

"That's enough about Nachtfel," Forest spoke as he threw the stick he had into the fire. "For now, our focus needs to be on finding Kura and discovering what Valkoin is up to. But before we do, I need to address something with the four of you." All of Team MRRN looked to pay attention to the master swordsman.

"I don't know if some of you are hesitant to kill, but if you join us, then you may not have a choice," he started. "Valkoim and those Knights will keep getting back up until they're dead. If you don't kill them…they will kill you. Do you understand?"

"I do," Math agreed.

"If that's what needs to be done," Robin followed.

"Well, they asked for it anyway," Nasser replied. They all looked at Ruo, who was being quite silent.

Ruo did not like killing at all. He had witnessed enough of it during his time in the White Fang. He wanted to become a Huntsman so he could leave that part of his life behind; no more needless killing. However, he had to acknowledge that Forest was right; the Iron Knights would kill his teammates if they didn't put them down first. It was a hard decision for him, but he made his choice.

"I don't like killing," Ruo admitted as he looked at Huzhao. "But…if that's what is needed to rescue Professor Kura and stop Valkoin's plan, then I understand."

"Very well then," Sterling responded.

"So what do we do?" Nasser asked, rising to his feet.

"First off, I need to do the first part alone," Forest insisted. "I can track their trail to their hideout and, once I find it, I'll come back to inform you."

"Alone?" Robin asked.

"I track better when I'm by myself," Forest explained. "Once I've hopefully found the entrance, we'll discuss the next step of our plan. Keep in mind, we may have to improvise since we don't know how many Knights are here or the layout of their hideout."

"Got it," Math responded. Forest got onto his feet and headed for the exit.

"Don't leave until I come back," he instructed. After nearly getting killed by those Knights, Team MRRN was not about to argue with that.

"You lads look hungry," Ruadh spoke. "Get yourselves something to eat before we go to crush some skulls." Again, no argument.

-0-

"Make sure I'm not disturbed," Valkoin instructed one of the Knights as he opened the door to his quarters and locked it behind him. Upon entering, a Seer Grimm appeared from the shadows, clicking noises becoming easier to hear as Valkoin approached it.

"Your Grace," he addressed, bowing his head. The mist inside the glass ball of the Grimm spurned, eventually revealing the image of a woman-like creature with white hair, black and red eyes, black veins all over her body, and deathly white skin.

" _Hello, Valkoin,"_ Salem addressed. _"I'm glad you contacted me. There's something you must know."_

"What is it?" the wire master asked.

" _We must recall the plan,"_ she explained. _"I received word from Cinder that Torchwick launched the attack too early and was captured as a result."_

"Roman already launched the attack?" Valkoin questioned. "We agreed to wait for the Vytal Festival. Why didn't he contact me?"

" _Cinder told me that a team from Beacon, Team RWBY, was sent to Mountain Glenn and forced Roman's hand,"_ the Grimm Queen answered. _"Apparently, this team has been quite a thorn in our sides concerning our plans for Vale."_

"The Knights won't take this news well," the wire master spoke. "But if we try to launch our attack anyway, the Huntsmen and law enforcement will contain us within hours."

" _Luckily, this isn't a total victory for Ozpin,"_ the Grimm Queen smirked. _"General Ironwood had been reporting Ozpin's behavior to the Vale Council and has been placed in charge of security during the Vytal Festival. As you know, Ironwood is heavily dependent on technology and his military. He thinks he'll keep Vale safe, but with Cinder having installed the virus-"_

"That tech will be used against him," Valkoin finished.

" _Yes,"_ Salem confirmed. _"Now, what did you wish to say?"_

"As I hoped, Ozpin took the bait," the wire master smirked. "We have Alan Kura with us right now. He has to know where the Fall Maiden's being kept. Once we've discovered her location, I'll send the information to Cinder. But…we have a problem." Salem frowned.

" _What problem exactly?"_

"Forest Kotka and his two teammates are here," Valkoin informed. "They rescued the students that came with Kura. If he's here, then it's only a matter of time before they find our hideout. Forest is one of the best trackers I've ever known."

" _It doesn't matter,"_ Salem dismissed. _"He'll know nothing of our next move. He doesn't know what Ozpin knows, so he'll just be searching around in the dark."_

"Then what is your command?" Valkoin asked.

" _Have the Knights evacuate this station,"_ Salem ordered. _"We know one of the trains will lead close to one of their other outposts in the west, so use the train to stock up everything and leave."_

"And Kura?" the wire master asked. Salem smiled sadistically as her eyes glowed.

" _If he refuses to talk, bring him to me,"_ she ordered. _"Now give out the order to evacuate. Contact me once you've reached the outpost."_

"It will be done," Valkoin assured before Salem's image faded from the Seer Grimm. The wire user groaned in frustration at Roman's incompetence. They had a perfect plan; a two pronged attack where one train run by the White Fang went into Vale and the other run by him and the Iron Knights went directly into Beacon. If their plan had been successful, the Huntsmen would've been overwhelmed and the Academy would've fallen.

"Well, there's no use in fretting," the wire master told himself. He opened the door to see the Crusher with a bloodied spiked chain hanging from his hand. The wire master smirked as he watched the blood drop from the weapon, knowing who's it was.

"Is he still not talking?" Valkoin questioned.

"He won't say a word," the Crusher answered. "He's alive, but he's lost consciousness."

"You're certain?" the wire user demanded to know.

"Yes, yes," the Knight hastily assured.

"Good. There's been a change of plans." Valkoin walked past the Crusher to look down at a set of railroads where several trains were. One of them was being loaded by Iron Knights armed to the teeth with rifles, blades and other weaponry.

"Unload the train and evacuate the station," Valkoin ordered. "We will take another to the outpost west of here."

"What!?" the Crusher shouted. "But we had a plan to destroy Beacon! We were promised-" Valkoin lashed out some wires, wrapping around the Crusher's neck and bringing him to his knees.

"You will have what you were promised," he assured the Knight. "You and your Knights may be the muscle, but I am the brains. Do not forget that or the next time I have to remind you, I'll rip you to pieces. Understand?" The Crusher gagged and choked as he nodded his head, prompting Valkoin to remove the wires from his throat.

"You have one hour," the wire user added. "Only pack what's needed; anything that we have no use for, leave it. Once the hour is up, anyone who is not on the train is left behind. No exceptions." The Crusher growled at this command, hating the idea of leaving his comrades behind if they weren't on the train in time. However, he couldn't argue with him, knowing he could easily kill him without a second thought.

"I'll get the order out," the Crusher complied. "What about that Huntsman we have?"

"He comes with us," Valkoin answered. "Remember to keep him alive. He's no good to me dead." With that, Valkoin walked away from the Crusher towards Kura's cell, where he could hear the sounds of immense pain, slashing and savage beatings. As soon as Valkoin opened the door, the Knights ceased their brutal treatment of the now conscious Alan Kura.

"That's enough," Valkoin ordered. "Prepare to leave. We head west…and do not ask questions." The Knights dispersed and left the two alone.

Alan being beaten was an understatement. Scars, bruises, wounds…all of these were present on Kura's body, especially the ones where the Crusher had used the spiked chain. His torn clothes and face were almost drenched in blood and his breathing had been reduced to a mere wheeze. Valkoin knelt down to look at the brutally beaten Huntsman.

"All you have to do is answer my question," he spoke softly. "Where is the Fall Maiden? You don't have to suffer for Ozpin's stupidity, you know that."

"Ozpin's made a lot of mistakes," Kura admitted. "But his worst was entrusting you to join us, you traitor!" Valkoin stood up and looked down at the Professor.

"If you wish to die at Salem's hands, then so be it," he warned before kicking him in the face and knocking him unconscious. Valkoin then released the wires from Alan's body and used them to wrap up his hands and legs.

-0-

Forest bent down, examining the tracks that had been left behind by the Knights. It was all too easy for him since to him, their trail leading back to their hideout were as plain as day.

"They were in such a rush to get back to Valkoin," Forest spoke. "But they don't know about my tracking skills and they just left a trail of bread crumbs for me to follow."

Tracking the Knights wasn't the only thing on his mind. He was mad at Ozpin for deliberately sending Team MRRN here and straight up lying to them. The Beacon Headmaster knew Iron Knights could've been here and sent a first-year team instead of professionals.

"Who does Ozpin think he is?" Forest growled as he followed the trail. "Those students are not his pawns for him to sacrifice however he sees fit. He, Ironwood and Qrow only care about winning this war, not who gets hurt or killed to win." He scoffed.

"And everyone wonders why we left Ozpin's group." Suddenly, he heard a noise in the distance.

"Where could they've gone?" one of the Knights asked.

"I have no idea," the Blaster responded. "They could be anywhere." Suddenly, his scroll went off, prompting him to answer.

"Yes?" he answered. "What? The attack has been called off?...We only have an hour to leave?...I'm on my way." The Blaster hung up his scroll and turned to face his soldiers.

"Change of plans," he explained. "We're returning to the hideout to evacuate to the outpost in the west. And we're taking the Huntsman with us."

The Knights started walking in the opposite direction to the entrance of the station, hiding in an avalanche of rocks. Above the entrance read "Mountain Glenn Railway System", an old underground train system that had been built in the hopes of expanding Vale's territory before the fall of Mountain Glenn. Now it sat abandoned…a perfect hiding place for the Knights.

Unknown to them, a Vacuo Golden Eagle had followed them.

-0-

Ozpin sat at his desk, his head in his hands as he overheard the constant bickering between General Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch.

"Sending them was a mistake!" Ironwood claimed. "We haven't heard from him at all in almost two days."

"Recon takes longer than two days, James," Goodwitch pointed out. "We need to give him time."

"Time to do what?" Ironwood questioned. "To be killed by Valkoin? If we just stand by and do nothing, then there's no telling what can happen to them."

"Why can't you trust Ozpin's judgment?" Goodwitch questioned. "He has more experience than the rest of us." Ironwood glared and walked over to the glass where Vale could be seen in the distance.

"Look out there," he stated. "Ozpin sent Team RWBY to Mountain Glenn and Vale was breached. This could've been avoided if you had just listened to me."

"You're lucky we're listening to you at all!" Goodwitch nearly shouted. "You preached about trust and kept on saying how much you hate being kept in the dark, yet you went behind our backs and ratted Ozpin out to the Vale Council! Why should we trust you after what you did?"

"Because I'm the only one with an army, dammit!" Ironwood shot back. "Whether you see it or not, Vale needs my troops. My Atlesian Knights helped contain the Grimm during the breach, did they not? You should be thanking me!"

"For all of your hypocrisy and arrogance?" Goodwitch questioned. "'Ozpin should never had made you a part of this inner circle! All you do is complain-"

"That's enough!" Ozpin demanded, silencing both of his lieutenants. He rose from his seat to look at them with a stern scowl.

"Not hearing from Kura is worrying me too, but we must not jump to conclusions," the Beacon Headmaster insisted. "Alan Kura is a professional Huntsman. He has fought for Vale for almost 15 years now. However, if he does not report back by tonight, we'll send a team tomorrow to find them and bring them back." Just then, beeping was heard and the projection 'Entry Requested' appeared on Ozpin's desk.

"Come in," he allowed. The elevator door opened to show Pyrrha Nikos, who then walked inside.

"Hello, Ms. Nikos," Ozpin greeted. "How can I help you?"

"Sorry to disturb you, Professor," Pyrrha apologized. "I came here to ask if there's been any word from Team MRRN. Mathdon told me you wanted them to investigate up north for disturbances occurring."

"I'm afraid we haven't had any contact with them," Ozpin admitted. "But I wouldn't worry. Team MRRN is made of strong fighters. I still remember hearing about your duel with Mr. Kendrick."

Pyrrha wasn't convinced about this. She was suspecting Ozpin was hiding something, but she was in no position to raise those kinds of questions, especially with Ironwood and Goodwitch present.

"What were they investigating?" Pyrrha asked.

"We don't know exactly," Ozpin answered. "But if we don't hear back from back them by tonight, I'll send a bullhead to find them and bring them back."

"May I request permission to go if needed?" Pyrrha asked. "I'm…I'm getting worried about Math."

"We understand your concern, Ms. Nikos, but Mathdon is one of Beacon's strongest first-years," Goodwitch reminded. "His teammates are no different."

"If you insist, then I will allow you to go, but only if needed," Ozpin answered. Pyrrha nodded her head and smiled.

"Thank you, Professor," she replied. "Please let me know if you send the team. If I may, who will you send?"

"Team IRIS," Ozpin answered. "They're one of Haven's strongest teams."

That was a bonus for Pyrrha if she went. Safirlas was Mathdon's sister, who she already become acquainted with, and would show no opposition to her going with them to retrieve Team MRRN.

"But for now, please do not worry," Ozpin assured the redheaded fighter. "We'll find them."

"Thank you, Professor," Pyrrha replied before walking back to the elevator and pressing the down button. As the doors closed, Ironwood looked over at Ozpin.

"I hope Alan's alive or his blood is on your hands, Ozpin," the General warned.

"James!" Glynda snapped. "Alan knew what he was signing up for. He knew the risks. Don't you dare blame this on Ozpin." Ironwood looked at Glynda in disbelief, catching her angered gaze directed right at him.

"Our job is keep people safe, isn't it?" Ironwood questioned. "I'm trying to keep people safe. My army will do just that."

"You think the people of Vale feel safe?" Goodwitch questioned. "I don't know if you've looked around, but people are scared. The presence of your army will only cause fear…fear that will attract the Grimm."

"Then let them come," Ironwood challenged. "I've led countless battles before I was made a general. If they come, it'll be no different. We'll put a hundred bullets in every Grimm that dares to threaten us." Glynda gave out a loud groan of frustration.

"When will you realize that your 'grand army' is not the solution to every situation?" she asked. "If only you were as intelligent as you are hardheaded. Then you'd actually be of help to us!"

"Glynda!" Ozpin silenced, much to her dislike. After giving them a few moments to calm down, the Beacon Headmaster sat back down.

"James, I need you to trust me," he insisted. "We cannot beat Salem if we don't trust each other. I'm willing to trust you to do what is right. Why won't you return the favor?"

The Atlesian general did not respond. Ozpin was always one to work in the shadows, not afraid to lie or only tell half the truth if he felt the need to do so. However, he had let Ironwood in on a global conspiracy that threatened all of Remnant. He had been made part of the inner circle that knew many things that if revealed to the world, there's no telling what kind of chaos would be unleashed.

At the same time, Ironwood still knew little of Ozpin. He was secretive, even towards his closest allies, which had made the General a bit suspicious of him.

A long time went, yet Ironwood still did not answer. Ozpin sighed when it became obvious that the Headmaster of Atlas Academy would not tell him he wouldn't trust him.

"We have Roman Torchwick," James reminded. "We could've had Valkoin as well locked up on my ship if you had listened to me." With that, the General walked towards the elevator and left the office.

"I am so fed up with him," Goodwitch groaned. "All he does is complain about what we do because we won't send a massive army to show our 'superiority'." She looked over at Ozpin, who had a much more solemn expression on his face.

"Professor?" she asked with concern.

"I just hope I wasn't wrong in sending them there," Ozpin spoke.

"Ozpin," Glynda replied in a reassuring manner. "We knew the risks we were taking when we decided to help you defeat Salem. We know we may all may not live to see her defeated."

"I know," Ozpin replied. "I must do what is necessary to stop Salem. If we don't stand in her way, no one will. Numbers alone will not win this war."

"That's what Ironwood won't understand," Goodwitch pointed out. "If he would…" She sighed before walking off to start her next combat class. As she approached the elevator, she stopped and looked back at Ozpin.

"Remnant needs you, Ozpin," she reminded him. "No matter what anyone else says, never forget that." With that, she opened the elevator and left the Headmaster to himself in his office.

"I must keep Remnant safe," Ozpin whispered to himself. "Salem must be defeated, no matter the cost."

 **Author's Notes: I hope you're still enjoying this Fanfic. I recently started reading PALDN Volume 1 by PaladinofArgyle. Make sure to visit, read his Fanfic when you can and show support!**


	17. Rescue

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **VOLUME 2, CHAPTER 17: Rescue**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

"We have less than an hour to rescue Kura," Forest explained after he and the others had arrived at the entrance to the underground station. "They're planning on evacuating to an outpost to the west by train."

"Didn't you say something about them calling off an attack?" Math asked.

"I don't what they were planning, but right now, that doesn't matter," Forest answered. "What matters now is getting Kura out of there. If our luck holds, we can get him out of there without being spotted."

"Then what are we waiting for?" the autistic swordsman asked. "Let's move."

"Yes," his mentor agreed. "I'll take lead. Do exactly as I say and be ready to fight." Forest took the lead with everyone following him in a line due to the rather narrow pathway entrance. At the end of the hallway was a lift with a lever, obviously leading down to the lower levels.

"This may make a lot of noise," Sterling pointed out.

"If so, then stealth may only serve us for so long," Forest added. "We need to be ready to fight if they find us, so keep your guard up." The eagle swordsman led the group onto the lift, being careful to step lightly in fear of creating noise that would alert the Knights to their presence. Luckily, they all managed to get on without making any racket.

Ruadh pulled the lever, causing the door to close and the lift to descend underground. It made some noise, but not enough to alert the Iron Knights. It was moving slowly, the light from the entrance beginning to fade away, leaving them in near darkness. The only source of light for them was the lightbulb attached to the ceiling.

"What about the train leaving west?" Math asked. "Surely, we can do something about it."

"We don't know what they're loading onto the train," Forest pointed out. "For right now, our priority is finding Alan and getting out of here."

"We could rig this place to explode," Ruadh suggested. "The Knights are sure to have explosives with them." Forest nodded his head in reply.

"That'd put a wrench in their works for sure, if they have the explosives you need," he answered. "Very well. Let's discuss the plan and we need to be quick."

"All ears," Ruo responded.

"Ruadh, Sterling, Nasser and Ruo will go to find if they have explosives needed to bring this station down on them," Forest started. "The rest of us will go and rescue Kura. Once we've confirmed that he's been saved, we'll text you and help you place the explosives."

"We understand," Sterling responded.

"What if they don't have the explosives we need?" Ruo questioned.

"Then get back to the lift," Forest answered. "Our priority is Kura's safety. Text only; no calls." The lift finally stopped and opened its door to show a new hallway.

"All right, everyone, let's move," the eagle swordsman spoke as he, Robin and Math went in one direction and the others in a different one.

"Robin, check ahead," Math whispered to his cousin as they took cover behind a corner. The archer activated his heat tracking, but saw no heat signatures in the immediate areas.

"There's no one," Robin whispered. "The coast is clear for now."

"Follow me," Forest instructed as he unsheathed Rohkeus, prompting the two students to draw their own weapons. He led them slowly through the hallway, making sure to make as little noise as possible. They had no idea how many Knights were here in the station and could be overwhelmed in mere minutes, so stealth had to serve them as long as possible.

-0-

"What kind of explosives would you need to bring down this entire station on them?" Ruo asked Ruadh.

"Very strong ones," the axe user answered. "We'd need a lot of firepower for this idea to work."

"Then what should we look for?" the White Tiger Faunus asked once more.

"For now, look for the bigger Fire Dust crystals," Ruadh answered. "Just be careful around them."

"Or you'll become bald like Ruadh," Sterling teased, earning him an annoyed look from his short-statured teammate. Ruo and Nasser chuckled at Sterling's joke, much to Ruadh's ire.

"Go ahead, joke," he replied sarcastically. "Maybe you'd like to wake up with a shaved tail, Sterling. You won't be a Snow Fox Faunus anymore, you'll be a rat Faunus."

"Touch my tail and you'll lose your beard too," Sterling warned. Just then, a loud thud was heard far down the hallway, followed by a motoring sound. It was something big for sure to create a loud sound like that.

"What was that?" Nasser asked.

"Let's find out," Sterling suggested. He and Ruo led the group as their Faunus senses would make it easy for them to track down the source of the continuous motor noise. It didn't take long before they approached railroads that led in various directions, though only a few trains were present. One was being unloaded of everything: firearms, artillery, Dust, weapons…everyone someone would need for war was being loaded onto another train. To avoid being seen, they took cover behind some debris.

"Whoa, they are not messing around," Nasser whispered. "Those are some major toys."

"Is that Atlesian tech?" Ruo asked, noticing the tanks and artillery looked pretty advanced.

"Without a doubt," Sterling answered. "Only Atlesians could make artillery that advanced. There had been reports of Atlesian convoys being ambushed and their cargo stolen. I guess it's safe to say the Knights are responsible for some of them."

"There's Valkoin!" Nasser pointed out, the wire master on top of the train being loaded, his scroll in his hand. What he was doing was unknown, but he soon looked up to address the Knights.

"You have half an hour left!" he informed. "Anyone who is not on the train by the time will be left behind! No exceptions!" The Knights worked faster to get as much onto the train as possible.

"What attack do you think they were talking about?" Nasser asked.

"It's uncertain," Ruadh informed. "I'd have to see a layout of the railroads to know where they were heading. But let's not worry about that; let's see if we can find the explosives."

"If you see them, I'll get them," Ruo volunteered. "My Semblance will be perfect for getting them."

"No," Sterling refused. "It's too heavily populated here. We'll need to look somewhere else or we'll risk raising an alarm."

"Fair enough," Ruadh agreed as they left their hiding place to go down the hallway.

-0-

Forest's scroll vibrated. He opened it and saw he has received a message from Sterling. He opened the message and read 'They're leaving in thirty minutes.'

"We have thirty minutes left before they leave," Forest informed Math and Robin. "We have to find Alan before they take him."

The three of them hastened their pace with Robin constantly checking ahead with his Semblance to make sure no one was ahead. Luckily, it seemed all of the Knights were caught up in the evacuation and had all gone to load up the train.

The bad part was the station was almost like a labyrinth and it was easy for them to get lost in, even with Forest's tracking. Since Valkoin had used his Semblance to convert dark matter into a portal to bring Alan here, there was nothing for Forest to track.

"Do you see any heat signatures?" Math asked his cousin.

"None," Robin answered.

By now, that was starting to worry Forest. Any heat signature could mean Alan's location, but the complete lack of them meant no one was around…not even him. It was a possibility that Alan had already been taken to the train, but they couldn't just assume. They had to know for sure.

"Look!" Math pointed to a door much different than the others. "That looks like a cell to keep prisoners." He slowly reached for the handle and creaked it open. When he looked inside, he let out a quiet gasp of shock. Robin and Forest looked inside and saw what had disturbed Mathdon.

There were blood stains on the wall in splatters, obviously from brutal swipes on a human body. The floor had left small puddles of blood from the wall all the way over to the door where they were standing, obvious signs of being dragged. It had to be Alan's; he was the one they wanted.

"Did they…really do all that to him?" Math questioned. Then again, he remembered about how Alan had told them of the gruesome fate of Adrian Lapis at the hands of the Iron Knights. It shocked him to know how brutal the followers of Nachtfel were.

"They dragged him," Forest spoke as he examined the disturbances in the concrete as well as a faint blood trail. "His hands and legs were bound."

"Bound?" Robin asked. "Does that mean Valkoin's already taken him to the train?"

"It'd make sense, considering Alan was his target," the eagle swordsman responded. "It doesn't look like Valkoin used a portal to transport him this time, but we should be cautious."

"Valkoin is strong, we understand," Math assured.

"It's not that," Forest replied. "Valkoin is leaving such a bread trail. It's not like him to be reckless; he's a very thorough thinker." He shook his head as he examined the obvious trail.

"He's expecting us."

"He knew we were coming?" Math asked. His mentor nodded his head in confirmation.

"Valkoin knew we'd come to rescue Alan. If he's leaving a trail, then odds are, we risk walking to a trap."

"Then what can we do?" Math asked.

"We find a way around it," Forest answered. "I've dealt with his traps before. We need to be cautious."

"Got it," Math responded before he saw another opened door. He quickly inspected the door for wires; when he didn't see any, he looked inside. The only thing he could see was a large map of Sanus, with Vale circled and two lines with different destinations; one for Vale, the other for Beacon itself. A date had also been added, which was near the end of Fall when…the Vytal Tournament ended.

"What is this?" he wondered.

"It must be a layout of their plan," Forest assumed as he stepped inside and examined the map. His eyes widened as he realized by what the Blaster had meant by 'attack'.

"This would've been a massacre," Forest stated. "They were planning a two-pronged attack; one by the White Fang, the other by the Iron Knights."

"If they had been successful, the death toll would've been catastrophic," Robin added. "Thank the Gods that it was called off."

The idea of Beacon being destroyed played wildly in their minds at the moment. The Knights would no doubt slaughter everyone in the Academy…and take pleasure in every death they caused, in every life they took. With the Vytal Festival going on, the negativity would attract the Grimm and everyone, both civilian and Huntsman, human and Faunus, would be caught in this. Many lives would've been lost.

"Why would they call off the attack?" Math wondered. "It seemed…"

"There's no time to determine why," Forest spoke. "We've wasted enough time here. We must find Alan and fast. No doubt they've placed him on the train, so we need to hurry."

"Got it," Math replied as Forest took out his scroll and typed a message.

-0-

The group of four were still looking around for explosives powerful enough for Ruadh's plan to work. Since the Knights were caught up in the evacuation, there was no one around to search the immediate area they were in.

"There has to be some here somewhere," Ruadh spoke as they were having a hard time finding anything remotely explosive.

"They must've already loaded it into the train," Sterling suggested. "The only explosives present may be the ones we saw earlier."

"Then blowing up this station is a no-go," Ruo added. "We need to get back to Forest." Just then, Sterling's scroll vibrated, indicating he had received a message. He opened it and read 'Valkoin's expecting us. He's already taken Alan to the train. Forget about the explosives if you haven't started; get back to the train and wait for us.'

"We have to go back," the Snow Fox Faunus informed. "Valkoin's already taken Kura to the train. We must get back to the train and wait for the others."

"Kura's already been taken?" Nasser gasped. "Then let's go! There's no telling what those psychopaths will do to him."

"For now, we must get back and wait," Sterling replied. The four of them headed back the way they came to the train. Luckily, it wasn't too long before they found their way back and hide behind the same debris from before.

"Where could they've put Kura?" Ruo wondered as he looked at the train. It was a very long one, one that was already filled up with possibly hundreds of Iron Knights. Even if Robin were here, it'd take him a while to find Alan's heat signature…if he wasn't dead.

"It'd take forever to check every car," Nasser pointed out. "Where could he be?" Just then, footsteps could be heard by Ruo and Sterling; the two of them looked to the side to see the other three members of their group join them.

"Whoa," Math and Robin exclaimed softly at the amount of weaponry and the number of Iron Knights present. There had be a few hundred of them at the least, meaning if they tried a foolish head-on assault, they would all most likely die.

"Why would they need all this?" Nasser wondered.

"Because they were going to attack Beacon," Math informed, shocking everyone.

"What?" the knife user gasped. "Really?"

"They wouldn't do it alone," Robin added. "They were planning a two pronged attack. One from here, heading to Beacon…the other heading into Vale itself from Mountain Glenn."

"In other words, the demons of their past literally came back to haunt them," Sterling deduced. The Mountain Glenn Railway System was meant to help expand Vale's territory during the Mountain Glenn project. Now, it was almost used to bring the kingdom to near ruin.

"Robin, look for Kura," Math told. The archer activated his Semblance, checking the long train for their professor. Because of the numerous Knights already on the train, it was difficult for Robin to locate him. When heat tracking failed, he used his long-distance ability to look for anything that would give away Kura's location, but found nothing until he saw small drops of red on one of the cars.

"I see blood," he informed everyone. "He's in the train car closest under the tunnel entrance."

"I see it," Forest confirmed.

"So what now?" Nasser asked. "As much as I like a good fight, going up against all those Knights at once could be suicide."

"Which is why we won't," Forest answered. "Our only opening is when the train departs with all the Knights on board. We can swipe Kura and get out of here before they know we're gone."

"There's no way we can reach the car from here in time," Math pointed out. "We're too far."

"I see another hiding area over there," Sterling spoke up, pointing to a crumbled wall that could give them a good view of the train car, a good place to hide and placed them close enough to get onto the car once it began to depart.

"Sterling, you take point," Forest instructed. "Let's move." The Snow Fox Faunus stealthily led them to the hideout a small distance at a time to ensure the Knights did not spot them. After Sterling, it was Robin, then Nasser, then Ruo, then Math, and then Forest and Ruadh.

"Now all we do is wait," the eagle swordsman instructed. "Then we make our move, take out any Knights nearby, rescue Alan, and then get the hell out of here."

"What about the train?" Math asked. "Shouldn't we try to stop it?"

"We'll get our chance to stop them again," Forest responded. "For now, their plan is foiled. Once we get you back to Vale, we'll inform them of the outpost out west." Just then, the engine of the train started, alerting all the Knights.

"Get on the train!" the Crusher shouted. "You have only one minute! Drop whatever you're doing and get on now!" The Knights rushed onto the cars, dropping anything they didn't need. To the group's luck, only two of them got onto the car where Alan was being kept.

"Move!" Forest told them just before the train started to slowly move. They sprung from their hiding place, rushed to the car and hopped on.

"Huntsmen!" one of the Knights called out. Before they could draw their weapons, Forest and Math took them out simultaneously.

"Quick!" Sterling insisted. "Let's find Alan before we're too far in the tunnel." The group followed the faint blood trail to a large crate that was sealed shut. Math raised Claiom Solais and brought it down, slicing the lock in half. They opened it and, as expected, Alan Kura was inside. His hands and feet were bound by the wires that looked different from Invicta metal from before, so freeing them wouldn't be a problem.

What did disturb them was the wire coming out of Alan's mouth that ran out of the opposite side of the crate and outside the car. Math impulsively reached for it, but Alan smacked it away.

"Don't pull this wire!" he warned. "It's wrapped around my heart; if you pull it, it'll kill me."

"Then let's cut it!" Nasser suggested, drawing out Shafarnasr.

"You can't," Alan solemnly warned. "Valkoin rigged this wire to a bomb. If you cut it, it'll blow this car up."

The group widened their eyes in horror at the situation. It seemed there was no way to save Alan. If they pulled the wire, they would kill him. If they cut it, they blow themselves up.

"There…there has to be a way to save him!" Math insisted. "We can find a way…right?" There was no response from anyone. They knew just as much as Math did the reality of the situation; there was no way to save Alan and themselves.

"Is there…no way we can save him?" Ruo asked solemnly. "Maybe…"

"There's no way," Forest answered with hints of anger in his voice. "If we try anything, we'll either kill him or blow ourselves up."

Team MRRN hated this. They wanted to rescue the professor Ozpin had sent with them to investigate the Iron Knights' outpost.

Ozpin. That name started to ring in their heads.

He lied to them, to all of them. If he had just told them what they were up against, they would've been prepared from the very beginning. Instead, he was vague with them and only had them informed AFTER they had already left.

"Knights are coming!" Sterling warned. "They know we're here!"

"Dammit!" Math growled. Just then, the side doors closed shut. Team MRRN tried to get them opened, but they wouldn't even budge. To their shock, the doors were being sealed shut by wires, most likely Invicta ones at that.

"We're trapped!" Robin exclaimed.

"Then we find another way out!" Math insisted. Bullets flew into their car from the direction the Knights were coming from. Forest was about to instruct them to start firing back, but he saw Alan's body start to spasm.

"Oh, no," Forest whispered. "Alan!" Ruo heard him and rushed over to help him do what we can to save Professor Kura.

"Make room!" Ruadh told everyone as he loaded a rocket into his axe. He approached the entrance, aimed and fired at the number of Knights shooting at them.

"The wire!" Forest pointed out. "It's already wrapping tighter around his heart."

"Then what can we do?" Math asked. The eagle swordsman looked down at the professor slowly dying of his heart being sliced by wires. At this point, there was truly no way to save him.

"I'm sorry, Alan," Forest apologized as he lifted Rohkeus above him.

"What are you doing?!" Nasser shouted. Forest sighed heavily as he gripped his sword tight.

"Making sure he won't suffer," he responded before plunging his blade into Alan's chest, his face showing his immense hate for having to do this. Alan stopped spasming before he let out one long breath and died. When he was certain to be dead, Forest closed his eyes with a solemn look on his face.

"I'm sorry," Forest apologized. "This was all for nothing. Valkoin made sure there was no way to save Alan."

"All for nothing!?" Nasser asked angrily. "You're telling me that after everything…all we can do is let him die!?"

"Nasser, calm down!" Math demanded. "There was no way to save him…but we'll sure as hell give him justice."

"But before we do that, we need to get off this train," Sterling spoke. "We'll have to fight our way out of here now that the Knights now we're onboard."

"RRRRRRROOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!"

"What was that?" Nasser asked. "That's too loud for an Ursa."

"Definitely not an Ursa," Math agreed. The seven of them, while reluctantly leaving Alan's body behind, stepped out of the car to climb up the ladder and look behind.

"Is that…a Tyrannosaur?!" Math exclaimed. "We've got a Tyrannosaur to deal with as well?!" It was chasing the train, creating a loud boom for every step it took.

"Get in the next car!" Forest called out as he pulled Math down from the ladder and rushed inside with everyone else.

"Today is really not our day," Robin panted. "How are we supposed to fight that Grimm? Its armor is almost impossible to break."

"Hopefully, we can get out of here without having to deal with the Tyrannosaur," Forest suggested. "We need to get out of here." The door on the opposite side of the car opened to show the Crusher and Blaster leading Knights to face the group.

"We may not have been able to destroy Beacon right now, but at least we can still kill you," the Crusher smirked as he lifted his weapon.

"Hit them hard and don't hold back!" Ruadh shouted with a mighty roar. "Let us battle!"

 **Author's Notes: I hope you're still enjoying this Fanfic. Make sure to follow and favorite if you're enjoying this series.**


	18. Train Battle

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **Volume 2, Chapter 18: Train Battle**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

Math activated Dionach and knocked a Knight aside as they flooded into the car where he and his teammates were. Another Knight brought his blade down on Math, but he blocked it and countered with a side slash of Claiomh Solais, cutting his stomach.

Robin leapt over a Knight and fired at his back, piercing through his armor. To save his arrows, the archer transformed Sharp Shot into its sword form and parried attacks from another Knight before slicing his throat open.

"They're pouring in!" Ruadh pointed out, seeing the Iron Knights pour into the car like a flood. He blocked the attack of an Iron Knight before cleaving his axe into the Knight's gullet. He then swung his axe over his head wildly, hitting multiple Knights in the process; some were just hurt, others were killed.

The Tyrannosaur's roar was heard as it butted its head on the train car everyone was in, causing it to nearly turn on its side. The Crusher and Blaster looked out the window of the car to see the ginormous Grimm that was attacking their train.

"Blaster!" the Crusher addressed. "We must get the crews to their tanks! Bring that monster down!"

"On it!" the Blaster complied as the two of them left the car.

Forest was fighting the Knights effortlessly. In one burst of speed, he killed three Knights with one swing each before jumping into the air and kicking his blade into the chest of another Knight. He quickly recovered his blade to strike down two more Knights with a horizontal slash.

"He trained you?" Nasser asked Math as he threw a kinetically charged attack at one of the Knights, slamming them into the wall. "He's a badass!"

"Thanks," Math replied as he deflected a Knight's blade aside with his shield and then killed him with a slash of his blade.

The Tyrannosaur was heard again as it butted its head against the train once more. The car came dangerously close to tipping over, but luck held out and it got back onto its wheels.

"Get out of the car!" Forest called to his comrades. Everyone fought their way out of the car, following Forest as they moved into the next one. Just as Sterling got off, the Tyrannosaur finally tipped the train car over, causing it to tumble and explode into a raging fire, killing the Knights trapped inside. They thought the Tyrannosaur was done, but after picking up and eating one of the Knights, it roared and continued following the train.

"Why is it still following us?" Ruo asked. "Grimm are attracted only to negativity."

"And all of these Knights are full of the ill intent to kill," Sterling pointed out. "This train is flooding with negative emotions, which is why we must hurry and get off this train."

"Even if we did, we wouldn't be able to outrun the Tyrannosaur," Math spoke. "For all we know, if we get off now, the Tyrannosaur may start chasing us instead."

"He's right," Forest agreed. "We must find a way to take care of the Grimm first." A loud boom was heard. They looked outside to see that the Tyrannosaur had been fired upon. Sadly, the attack did no damage to its torso armor whatsoever.

"Even THAT didn't hurt it?" Nasser questioned. "Is there any way to kill that Grimm?"

"There may be," Robin suggested. "Where did Professor Kura say it was unprotected?"

"Its underbelly!" Ruo remembered. "If we can possibly strike its underbelly, we have a chance to take it down!"

"It won't be that easy, lad," Ruadh explained as the Tyrannosaur was hit again. Just then, an idea clicked with the short axe wielder.

"We must get to their tanks!" he answered. "If we can strike its underbelly enough times, we can kill it!"

"But in the meantime, let's not get eaten!" Math insisted as the other side of the car opened up and more Knights poured in, armed with guns this time.

"Take cover!" Forest told everyone as they got behind a wall and some crates. The Knights immediately ceased their fire, prompting everyone to look at each other.

"Why did they stop?" Nasser asked.

"They're not stupid," Sterling answered. "No good soldier wastes ammo on a foe that cannot see." A rolling sound was heard and everyone caught sight of a grenade with a Fire Dust crystal inside. Nasser was the first to react; he quickly grabbed the grenade and threw it back at the Knights, but it exploded mid-toss, creating an opening in the ceiling.

A Knight charged forward with her machine gun pointed at Nasser, but just as she was about to fire, a shadow descended from above and pinned her to the ground. It then sunk its teeth into her helmet and killed her, emitting a loud crunch.

It was a Raptor.

"Raptors!?" Math gasped. "Now we have to deal with Raptors too?"

"It's only one," Ruo pointed out. Just then, multiple steps were heard on the roof of the train car. Several more leapt into the car and pounced onto the Knights, eating them alive.

"You had to say it, didn't you?" Math responded with a frustrated tone. The Tyrannosaur roared as it dug its teeth into the roof and jerked at it.

"That Tyrannosaur's really annoying the hell out of me!" Nasser growled. "We can't seriously be attracting this many Grimm, can we?"

"As I said, every Knight here has the negative emotion of wanting to hurt and kill us," Sterling reminded. The Tyrannosaur succeeded in ripping off the roof of the train car and throwing it aside.

"Move!" Forest told them once more. Everyone rushed to get to the next car, fighting the Knights and Raptors as they did. They quickly got into the next car, where Forest, who was the last to get on, closed the door behind him and sealed it shut.

"That should slow down the Raptors for now," he insisted. "But they'll find another way to get to us. They're intelligent." An explosion was heard, but not from the sound of a train car being destroyed. This time, it was again from a tank firing upon the Tyrannosaur, most likely ineffective as before.

"If we're going to have any chance of stopping that monstrosity, then I must get ti a tank!" Ruadh informed.

"The Grimm and Iron Knights will keep coming after us," Ruo reminded. "There's no telling how many of both are on this train. Plus, we cannot stay in one car for too long or we'll attract the Tyrannosaur."

"Maybe that's what we need to do," Forest suggested. "That Tyrannosaur will keep tearing this train apart until there's no one left on board. But if we can keep distracted…"

"What are you suggesting?" Mathdon asked his mentor.

"Our quickest fighters, Sterling and Robin, will go onto the roof of the train and keep the Tyrannosaur's attention on them," Forest answered. "Don't worry about trying to damage it; just keep it focused on you."

"The Raptors could come after them," Math pointed out. "Don't you think it'd be a little too much to keep the Tyrannosaur's attention AND fight the Raptors?"

"You, Nasser and I will keep the Raptors and Knights busy," Forest explained. "We'll keep the fight focused on us. That'll leave Ruadh and Ruo-Jian able to reach the tanks and take out the Tyrannosaur. Once that's done, we stop this train and get out of here."

"And Valkoin?" Ruo asked. "He may try to intervene."

"He already is," Forest pointed out. "He's using his wires to keep us from escaping the train. He knows that if we try, we'll be easy prey for the Raptors and Tyrannosaur. Whether or not he'll try to confront us directly is uncertain, so everyone be on your guard."

Everyone, except Ruadh and Ruo, exited the car and got onto the roof of the train. They knew their roles: Sterling and Robin would keep the Tyrannosaur distracted, Forest, Nasser and Mathdon would fend off the incoming opponents and Ruadh and Ruo will get to the tanks to take out the colossal Grimm.

"There they are!" the Blaster called out. "Get them!" Many of the Knights got onto the roof of the train cars and rushed towards the group.

"Remember, keep that Tyrannosaur distracted!" Forest reminded Sterling. "We'll take care of them!"

"You bastards will pay for what you did to Alan!" Math shouted as he shot a Knight off the train and onto the ground. Any Knights in the train that weren't busy wasting ammo on the Tyrannosaur's armor got onto the top of the train and charged at the group.

"Alright, looks like they're being kept busy," Ruo whispered to Ruadh as they heard the sounds of fighting. "Let's get to the tanks before they notice two of us are missing."

"Couldn't agree more," the short axe user concurred. The two of them hopped into the next car of the train, looking for tanks to use. Sadly, there were none in this car, but their lookout for the artillery was cut short when the Crusher and several Iron Knights entered the train car.

"Looks like we have a few strays," he taunted, raising his axe hammer. "Just our luck."

"No," Ruadh responded. "You'd be lucky if you didn't run into us." He raised his axe and Ruo readied his claws.

The Crusher charged at Ruadh first, thinking his enormous size would be able to overpower Ruadh's shorter stature. He brought his weapon down, which was blocked by Ruadh's axe. With the axe blade positioned to hook onto the Crusher's weapon, Ruadh smirked as he swiped the axe hammer out of the Knight's hands and slashed at him.

Ruo slashed at a Knight's helmet with Lightning Dust infused claws, then slashed again at his neck, knocking him to the ground. He pounced onto another Knight and punched her in the helmet, knocking her unconscious. Another Knight unsheathed a baton and swung at the White Tiger Faunus, who blocked it and kicked him into a wall.

-0-

"Whoa!" Robin exclaimed as he narrowly dodged the Tyrannosaur's jaws. The plan was working so far; Sterling and Robin were managing to keep the Tyrannosaur's attention on them. They needed to hold out until Ruadh and Ruo reached the tanks and killed the Grimm. It was obvious the Knights wouldn't do it; they were practically wasting ammo on trying to break the Grimm's armor.

Not too far off, Forest, Mathdon and Nasser were engaged in combat with the Iron Knights flooding at them. Forest effortlessly deflected the weapons of two Knights at once before killing one with a slash and the next with a backwards stab.

Math knocked a Knight off the train with Dionach, followed by deflecting another's blade aside before slashing their stomach. He retracted his shield, holding Claiomh Solais with two hands, and leapt forward, his sword glowing with one of his brown Aura Swords. Upon landing, he created a shockwave that blew its way through many of the incoming Iron Knights.

"Hey! Save some for me, asshole!" Nasser called as he used his Semblance to charge forward like a missile and send one of the Knights flying. He then extended the chain of his right knife and swung at more Knights, knocking them off the train.

"Don't get careless!" Forest told them, believing they were getting a little lost in the heat of combat. "There's more coming…and it looks like they're bringing out big guns!" Mathdon and Nasser looked down the train to see Iron Knights coming out with powerful looking firearms with electric cables that were used on them before.

"Don't let them use those cables!" Math exclaimed. He reactivated Dionach and held it upwards as he and Nasser rushed forward. The Knights opened fire; their bullets were blocked by Dionach and Nasser swinging his chain in a circle in front of him.

The two of them saw a shadow above them, which was Forest, who leapt in front of them and blocked more of the bullets with Rohkeus. He was the first to reach the Knights, taking out two of them in a burst of speed.

Loud screeching was heard from behind them. They looked to see that Raptors were climbing onto the train, heading for Robin and Sterling.

"Raptors!" Nasser exclaimed. "I'll take care of them!" He used his Semblance to charge forward again and sent one of the Raptors flying off the train. More of them leapt and clung onto the sides, climbing up to reach the Huntsmen. Luckily, Nasser wasn't their only target as they also seemed to have their eyes on the Iron Knights.

"Shoot those Raptors!" the Blaster ordered as he unloaded a shot at one of them. Several more leapt on and clung to the side of the train where the Knights were exiting to get onto the roof. One of them grabbed a Knight by the knee and then pulled him off the train, where it and several others began to eat him alive.

"Let's hop Ruadh gets to that tank soon," Math told Forest as he killed another Knight. "That Tyrannosaur may get bored of playing around with Sterling and Robin."

"Ruadh will get it done," Forest assured.

-0-

Ruadh wounded the Crusher with a slash of his axe, chopping into his leg. The large Knight cried out in pain as he fell to the ground and clutched the wounds in his leg. This prompted some of the Knights to abandon the fight and help the lieutenant escape the train car.

"You're either smart or cowardly to run," the axe user taunted as he parried a Knight's attack and then chopped into his neck.

Ruo flipped over a Knight, grabbing his head and then slamming it on the ground. He parried the attacks of another, responding with an upward slash and kick into the wall.

"That's all of them for now," Ruo believed.

"For now," Ruadh specified. "There'll be more; I can feel it in my bones."

"Let's not wait for them to come to us," the Faunus insisted. "The others are counting on us take out that Tyrannosaur."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ruadh asked with a smile. The White Tiger returned the smile and the two of them hurried into the next car. Upon entering, just as Ruo took his first step, slashing and whooshing sounds were heard as wires appeared and nearly blocked off the entire car. From the other entrance came none other than the wire master who had tormented Alan Kura.

"Well, well, well," he chuckled. "It seems you students are more resilient than I thought. I've only myself to blame for this; Ozpin would never have sent a meager team of students after me."

"What are you talking about?" Ruo asked. "You mean…Ozpin knew you were here?"

"Of course he did," Valkoin confirmed. "Isn't it just sad? You put so much faith in Ozpin and yet he decided to send you here because you deemed your life and those of your teammates…worthless and expendable."

"No," Ruo denied, shocked at the possible fact that Ozpin knew Valkoin was here and sent them against him anyway, knowing they most likely had no chance against him. "You're lying."

"I don't see how, since I was the one who told that Knight in custody to spill the beans," the wire master revealed.

"You?!" Ruadh gasped. "You willingly gave away your own location!?"

"I only gave away enough to lure Ozpin's 'force' here," Valkoin responded. "Do you honestly think anyone could've found their way here other than Forest? This is a forgotten system…extinct to many."

"So you were only after Kura?" Ruo asked. "If you needed him, why would you kill him?" Valkoin snickered at the Faunus.

"I put that wire there so he wouldn't think of trying to escape," he explained. "You're the ones who wouldn't leave him be."

"Go to hell," Ruo growled. He resisted the urge to pounce onto Valkoin and claw him, knowing that the wires would most likely tear him to shreds.

"I don't know what you're planning on doing, but unfortunately, I don't care," the wire user spoke. "If the Knights don't kill you, that Grimm out there will. Of course, if you do…I'll admit I'll be impressed. Take care." Valkoin left the train car, but left the wires in place, making it impossible for them to get through.

"Damn," Ruadh snarled. "We can't go through."

"Then we'll have to go by the roof," Ruo suggested. "Let's move." The two of them got out of the car and went to the ladder. Just then, the Tyrannosaur butted its head against the train once more, causing Ruadh to lose his balance and nearly fall; Ruo saved him by grabbing his beard and keeping on the train.

"Not the beard!" the axe user groaned as he struggled to get back on. Ruo extended his hand and Ruadh grabbed it, managing to regain his balance. The two of them climbed the ladder and looked around on the roof of the train, hearing fighting behind them. Ruo saw that the others were possibly being overwhelmed by the Iron Knights and Raptors that were their way onto the train.

He wanted to go and help them, but he had to help Ruadh get to the tanks in order to kill the Tyrannosaur. Even with the constant bombardment it was receiving from the Knights, its armor had shown little damage. They had to get to a tank and fire at its only vulnerable area: its underbelly.

"Let's move," Ruadh reminded Ruo as they raced across the train cars.

-0-

Nasser was pinned to the ground by a Raptor. He blocked its biting jaws with his left arm and constantly stabbed its head with his knife in his other hand. After it was dead, he threw it off him and swung his chain at two more Raptors lunging at him.

"Go help him!" Sterling told Robin. "Nasser cannot handle all those Raptors alone."

"What about you?" Robin asked.

"I can handle keeping it distracted," Sterling assured. "Now go! Fend off the Raptors!" Robin nodded his head and pulled out Sharp Shot in its bow form. He then nocked an arrow and shot one of the Raptors dead. Before shooting again, Robin check the number of arrows he had with his gauntlet; it read '13 Arrows'.

"I need to save my arrows," Robin whispered as he switched Sharp Shot into its sword form and slashed one of the Raptor's heads off with a swift slice. He smirked as he slid under another and cut its stomach open.

"How are you doing?" Robin asked his teammate.

"I'm fine," Nasser assured. "I had it under control." He extended his chains once again and brought them down on a pair of Raptors, smashing them onto the roof.

"What?" Robin asked with his usual smirk. "Am I not allowed to join in the fun?" The archer flipped over a charging Raptor and sliced its body in half.

Near the other end, Math and Forest were still managing to hold their own against the onslaught of Iron Knights attacking them. Math imbued Claiomh Solais with one of his Aura Swords and sent another shockwave, wiping out half of the Knights in his path. Before he could see it, a Knight fired an electric cable at him and started to electrocute him. Forest quickly sliced the cable, preventing it from depleting Math's Aura.

"Thanks," Math responded.

"Don't mention it," Forest responded smiling. "Ruadh and Ruo should be making it to the tanks soon. We just need to hold them off a little longer."

"Let's hope so," Math spoke. "There's no end to these Iron Knight bastards."

"They'll get it done," Forest assured. "Once the Tyrannosaur's taken care of, we stop this train and then get the hell out of here." More Knights approached, firing at the two of them; Math blocked the bullets with Dionach while Forest swirled his blade in front of him to deflect them.

"Two of them broke off from the group!" the Crusher suddenly warned his fellow Knights. "We must stop them!"

"Dammit!" Forest growled. "We have to keep their attention on us, or things will just get harder for Ruo and Ruadh."

"Then let's make things harder for those bastards!" Math suggested as the two of them charged forward.

-0-

"We're almost there!" Ruadh told Ruo as they were just one train car away from the platform where the tanks had been loaded. They were very close to getting the firepower needed to take out the Tyrannosaur and stop its monstrous rampage. Just as Ruo was about to leap down, a bullet hit him, his White Aura shimmering from the attack.

"Lad, are you alright?" Ruadh asked after hearing Ruo's groan of pain.

"I'm fine," Ruo assured. He looked back to see Iron Knights, including the Crusher, rushing towards them.

"They must've seen us!" the Faunus assumed.

"Get in the tank!" Ruadh instructed. "It'll be faster to kill the Tyrannosaur with both of us in there." Ruo nodded his head and jumped from the roof of the car to the platform where the tanks were. Only one of them was not firing at the Tyrannosaur; luckily, Ruadh could tell from its design that it had the firepower he needed to kill the colossal Grimm.

"Inside, lad," Ruadh told the White Tiger Faunus. Ruo climbed in from the top while Ruadh followed behind him. The axe user took the controls while directing the Faunus to lock the hatch and then go by the ammo.

"Load the gun and I'll take care of the rest," Ruadh told him. The Faunus grabbed a large Dust shell into the gun. Ruadh aimed the tank's gun at the Tyrannosaur's underbelly, waiting for an opening.

After a few moments, Ruadh got a perfect shot of the Grimm's underbelly…and fired. It exploded on impact, causing serious damage to the Tyrannosaur.

"You got him," Ruo pointed out.

"It'll take more than one shot," Ruadh explained. "Load another shell." The Faunus nodded his head and loaded another Dust shell into the gun.

Again, Ruadh waited for his opportunity to shoot the Tyrannosaur's weak spot, waiting for almost a minute before firing a second shot. As before, the shell penetrated the Grimm's underbelly; he could tell it was getting weaker with the two precise shots he had fired.

"One more!" the axe user instructed. Ruo was about to reach for another shell until he heard bullets bouncing off the tank's armor. Shortly after, a great force nearly caused the tank to tip over, but the two of them quickly shifted their body weight in the hopes of keeping balance. It worked and the tank got back onto its wheels instead of falling off the train.

"They must've used a grenade," Ruadh deduced. "Get that next shell loaded before they manage to knock us off the train." The Faunus nodded his head and loaded another Dust shell into the gun. Not having time to wait for a perfect opening, Ruadh fired the shell at the first opening of the Tyrannosaur's underbelly.

As hoped, the last shot did the job and the Tyrannosaur started to stumble. It was dying. It let out a loud roar of agony before it fell against the wall of the tunnel.

What happened next was not fortunate for everyone. The force of the Tyrannosaur's fall was enough to cause the tunnel to collapse, causing the roof to cave in on them.

"Get in the tank now!" Forest told everyone. All of his comrades rushed across the roofs of the train cars, racing to get to the tank where Ruadh and Ruo had used to kill the Tyrannosaur. It was possibly the only thing strong enough to keep them safe from the collapsing tunnel from killing them.

"Lads!" Ruadh called out as he opened the hatch and waved to his friends. "Hurry or we're all dead! There's room in here for everyone!" The collapse started to get heavier as they made it to the tank platform. By now, most of the Knights still on the roofs of the train cars were killed by the large falling rocks.

"Get inside now!" Forest told everyone, refusing to get in until all the others were in. First it was Robin, then Nasser, then Sterling and then Math; only after all of them were in did Forest get into the tank and seal the hatch.

"What do we do now?" Nasser asked the badass Huntsman who was Math's mentor.

"We wait," Forest replied. "That…was not part of the plan."

"Do you think this will get rid of Valkoin?" Math asked.

"Not a chance," Sterling denied. "He's not easy to take down." The sound of rocks falling grew louder, signaling that the tunnel was now caving in on them. All they could do now was wait until it was safe.

"We'll make those bastards pay," Math told his team. "For Professor Kura." They all nodded their agreement to Math's statement. When they get their chance, they'd make the Knights pay for the loss of their professor. They would be strong enough.

They'd be ready.

 **Author's Notes: I hope you're still enjoying this Fanfic. If you have any constructive criticism on how to improve this Fanfic, then please let me know. Make sure to favorite and follow!**


	19. Through the Tunnel

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **VOLUME 2, CHAPTER 19: Through the Tunnel**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

Enough time had passed. Forest unlocked the hatch and pushed up, despite the weight from the large rocks making it harder for him. He looked around and saw the entire train was now a wreckage. Bad news for the team was that the way they had come was now blocked off.

"Alright, it's safe," the eagle swordsman informed as he got out. One by one, the remaining six of them got out of the tank to look around and see the wreckage of the train. There was no doubt that most of the Iron Knights and Raptors were dead or gravely injured, luckily leaving them with no opposition.

"Well, great," Nasser groaned. "We can't go back the way we came. So what now?"

"We go through the tunnel," Math responded. "It's got to come out somewhere."

"It will," Ruadh assured. "There's plenty of entrances and exits for the Mountain Glenn Railway System. We just have to know where is where."

"So…we just follow the railroad?" Ruo asked. "We don't even know where it may lead…or if we'll encounter worse Grimm."

"It's our only option," Forest replied. "There's no way we can go the other way. Even if we try to blast it open, we could risk a worse collapse." The members of Team MRRN looked over to Mathdon.

"What do you think?" Ruo asked.

"I've never had a reason not to distrust Forest's judgment," the autistic swordsman replied. "If he believes we need to go through the tunnel, then I'm on board."

Everyone nodded their agreement to this and started on their way through the rubble and wreckage of the train. Just as they passed one of the more lightly damaged cars, Ruo took a look inside and found supplies.

"Guys," he called. "There are supplies in here." Everyone came to the window and saw the immense amount of supplies that were in the car, much to their relief.

"Come on," Math insisted. He unsheathed Claiomh Solais and broke the window. He then made sure to get rid of any shards in the frame so they wouldn't tear the bags or hurt any him or his teammates.

"Make it quick," Forest insisted. "We cannot stay here for too long, so only grab what we need." Math nodded and the four members of Team MRRN climbed inside, looking around.

"Man, they have everything," Math commented. The car was loaded with all kinds of food; fruit, meat, vegetables, even alcoholic drinks. Containers of Dust ammo were packed together on shelves were the specific kind written on the front: 'Fire', 'Ice', 'Lightning', and more.

Robin found some bags to put the supplies in and handed one to each of his teammates. Each of them went off in different directions to look for supplies needed for their journey through the tunnel.

While looking, Nasser found some stuff that made him smirk a little. He quickly stuffed some of it into his pockets and another into his bag. The first thing he was taking, he definitely felt the need for it. The second…not so much.

"Nas," Ruo called as he put some meat in his bag. "Only take what we need."

"Trust me; I need this," Nasser assured. The Faunus took his word for it and continued packing up supplies.

"Alright, you've been in there long enough," Forest told them. "Finish whatever you're doing and get out. We must leave before Grimm arrive." The four students made their way back to the window, pushing their supplies out first for the three veterans to catch and gently place on the ground.

After the last bag was handed out, Team MRRN took turns getting out the window. First, it was Robin, then Nasser, followed by Ruo and finished by Math.

"I also found this," Robin spoke as he presented what appeared to be a map. "This looks like it'll come in real handy."

"Let me see," Ruadh insisted as he took the map and examined it. As he thought, it was a layout of the Mountain Glenn Railway System, showing every railroad, every exit and every trainyard. This is just what they needed.

"This is going to make getting out of here a lot easier," the axe wielder informed.

"Let's get moving," Forest insisted. "Turn on you scroll lights. It'll get very dark in here." The group started on their way through the tunnel with Forest and Ruadh in the lead.

-0-

Pyrrha was in the library, vainly trying to study for her next assignments. She was wearing her studying glasses and reading out of a textbook about the history of the Four Kingdoms. Her body and mind were trying to set itself on studying, but they wouldn't.

There had been no word from Mathdon ever since he and his team had gone up north. Normally, she wouldn't be this worried, but she knew that since it was a recon mission, they should've heard back from them.

She could tell that Ozpin was keeping something from her, but she was in no position to be questioning him. He was her Headmaster and doing something so bold could possibly get her on his bad side or that of the other professors.

The only thing that easily took up her mind…was Mathdon. All her life, there was rarely anyone who saw her as a person; instead, to them, she was a celebrity, a role model who had to live up to the expectations of others, or a student who had to be perfect. She thought she'd never find anyone who she could have a true, intimate relationship with.

Then along came Mathdon.

Mathdon was a soul who was abused, hurt, mistreated, and yet with the help of others, he found his way onto a good road of helping people. He was someone who didn't care or know of Pyrrha's celebrity status, who saw her as Pyrrha Nikos the person instead of the champion, perfect student or role model.

She was now with someone who didn't expect her to be perfect. Around Math, she could be as quirky and casual as she liked. It was the first time in a long time she had been able to be like this.

She realized it…she was desperately afraid of losing Mathdon. She was afraid of losing the young man she had fallen in love with, who loved her back, who she had went as far as to spend the night with in the same bed.

"You okay, Pyrrha?" a voice asked. The redhead looked up to see Safirlas with her own book. There was a look of concern on her face, probably for her brother.

"Hello," Pyrrha greeted, putting on a brave smile. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Safirlas replied. "Your teammates have said you've been…not yourself lately. It's about Mathdon, isn't it?" Pyrrha's brave smile faded away in response. To her question.

"I just hope he and his team are okay," the redhead answered. "We still haven't heard anything from them and Professor Ozpin…" She sighed before placing her head in her hands.

"Pyrrha, I'm worried about Math's team too," the elder sister informed. "But I've seen how strong they are. They know what they're going up against. Besides, you heard Professor Ozpin; if we don't hear back from them by tonight, we'll go out to find them. Have you already told your team?"

"I have," the Amazon answered. "They've stated that they wish to go as well."

"You and Math are very serious, huh?" Safirlas asked as she sat down across from her.

"Yes, we are," Pyrrha answered. "I've never…been able to be like this around someone before. With Math, I can just be myself and I know he won't expect me to be a perfect role model. I love him." Safirlas smiled at the proclamation of love Pyrrha shamelessly gave for her younger brother.

"You two looked so great at the dance last Sunday," she complimented. "I'm glad he's found someone he can be happy with."

"Considering all he's been through," Pyrrha spoke. Safirlas looked at her with a questioning look, an eyebrow raised.

"He told me about his Asperger's," the redhead explained. "He told me about everything…before he came here." It took all of Safirlas's willpower to not get angry, remembering the horrible memories of her brother's mistreatment.

"It's…not easy for him to trust people with that," Safirlas admitted. "He's afraid of being rejected as he was before."

"Well…I hope you believe me when I say that I have no intention of hurting him," Pyrrha responded.

"I know you won't," the older sister replied. "Math really talks about you a lot."

"How so?"

"Well…he says you're a real sweetheart, you love to read his stories, you've become more open and playful ever since you two started dating…" Pyrrha had a slight blush growing on her cheeks. It was good to know of how Math spoke of her, especially to his older sister.

"What do you say we spar a little?" Safirlas suggested. "I've always wanted to go up against the Invincible Girl."

"Sounds grand," Pyrrha agreed. "It'll be good to keep our skills at their peak if we need to find Mathdon. I'll meet up with you when I'm done studying." Safirlas nodded and left the table to go down to the training building. Upon seeing the new scowl of worry on her brother's girlfriend, she leaned on the table and put a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll find him," she assured. "My brother trained with two veterans for four years and he turned out great. He'll be fine." Pyrrha put on a brave smile and nodded in response. Safirlas then left to go to the training building, leaving Pyrrha to her studying.

"Math…" she spoke softly. "Please be safe."

-0-

Math opened his scroll to check his Aura, reading at 57%. He checked the Auras of his other teammates; Robin's was yellow while Nasser's and Ruo's were still in the green. He was confident that the three veterans' Auras were fine, despite Forest handling the most fighting against the Iron Knights during the train battle.

"Do you know which way we're going?" Nasser asked the axe user.

"As soon as we find a junction, I should," Ruadh assured. "Even with the compass Forest has, it's not enough to know which railroad we're on, lad."

"So after we get out of the tunnels, what's next?" Math asked. "We don't how much reception we'll have on our scrolls."

"We're going southward," Forest explained. "The closer we get to Vale, the better reception we'll have, so don't worry." As they kept walking, Ruo walked up to him, looking as if he had something on his mind.

"Ruo?" Forest asked. "Is something wrong?"

"When we encountered Valkoin on the train, which is why we had to start travelling on the roofs, he said Ozpin knew he was here," the Faunus explained, deciding to trust this to Math's mentor, considering everything that happened. "I don't want to think our Headmaster would send us here, knowing we'd encounter someone as dangerous as him."

Forest remained silent, hiding the contempt and ire in his eyes. He knew Ozpin had a habit of unwittingly drafting students into his war against Salem by sending them on much more dangerous missions, just like he had done with his own team back in the days when he attended Beacon. There was no doubt in his mind that Ozpin would've sent Team MRRN here, even if he knew they'd encounter Valkoin.

He was sure Glaucus would've told Ozpin of Math's training and hoped that he wouldn't have his eye on him, but he was wrong. After everything that had happened, Forest was sure Ozpin intended to draft Math's team into the conflict against the Queen of the Grimm. When he got back to Beacon, he'd be sure to have a nice, long chat with the Beacon Headmaster.

"I trained Math so he could follow his dream of becoming a Huntsman and find acceptance, not so he could be a pawn in this war, Ozpin," the eagle swordsman thought to himself.

"Wait!" Ruadh halted. Everyone stopped and pointed their scroll lights at up ahead, seeing two tunnels going in separate directions. From the look of it, they were ready to fall apart due to how much disrepair they were in. Luckily, it seemed only a rather large explosion or impact could cause the tunnels to collapse.

Forest immediately took out his compass and showed it to Ruadh, indicating which ways the tunnels were going. The one to the left was going west and the other was going south. By now, Ruadh had adequate information to determine where they were.

"I just need a few minutes," the bald axe wielder informed. They took this opportunity to sit down and rest for a little bit. Math checked his Aura again and this time, it read 60%, showing that it was slowly recovering from the battle on the train.

One thing came to his mind: Professor Alan Kura.

In comparison to the boring Port or hyperactive Oobleck, Kura was an interesting teacher, but also made sure his students got the job done. He was not afraid to call out others when they misbehaved, especially towards Cardin and Gaspar during his earlier time at Beacon. Above all, he was a calm, logical and down-to-earth teacher.

WAS.

Now he was gone. Valkoin and the Iron Knights had taken him, tortured him, and would've made him suffer a very grueling death if Forest hadn't killed him out of mercy. It sickened to see how much pleasure the Knights derived from torturing those they hated, whether they were bad, like Adrian Lapis, or good, like Alan Kura.

"I'm sorry, Professor Kura," Math silently apologized. "We'll get those bastards back for what they did to you."

"I know where we are!" Ruadh proclaimed. "We must take the west tunnel."

"West?" Math asked.

"The south tunnel changes direction to the east, which would take us far from Vale," the axe user explained. "However, the west tunnel will turn south and take us closer to the kingdom. We'll probably be close enough to have reception in our scrolls to call for a pickup."

"Alright," Forest spoke. "How long will it take?" Ruadh inspected the map much closer

"From the looks of it, perhaps…a day if we stop to rest?"

"Let's do it," Robin insisted. Everyone got up and followed Ruadh and Forest down the west tunnel.

"If we run into Grimm, don't use explosives," Sterling warned. "This tunnel looks like it's ready to fall apart."

"Note taken," Math replied. "Let's just hope we don't run into another Tyrannosaur."

The group continued through the dark underground railways, constantly checking behind them for Grimm. For now, it seemed their luck was holding and no Grimm were anywhere to be seen or heard.

"So, Forest…how did you know we were here?" Math asked his mentor, approaching him.

"We didn't," he answered. "We were here for something else. However, after we heard gunfire in the distance, we came to find out what happened."

"I'm glad you did," the swordsman spoke with gratitude. "There were just so many, so quick…and Professor Kura-"

"Don't, Math," Forest interrupted, knowing where his student was going. "This is not on you. This is on Ozpin…and I'll be sure to have a good, long chat with him."

"Thanks," Math spoke again. "For saving our lives." Forest smiled warmly at his student and put his hand on his shoulder.

"We helped too, you know?" Ruadh called back. "Don't forget; I'm the one who killed the Tyrannosaur."

"With my help," Ruo added with a chuckle. "It would've been harder on your own."

"Don't worry about him," Sterling told the White Tiger. "He's bitter because he's bald."

"How about I shave that tail of yours, Sterling?" the axe user threatened playfully. "Everyone will mistake you for a rat Faunus."

"You shave my tail and I'll rip your beard from your face," the Snow Fox Faunus shot back. "That beard is the only thing that makes looking at your ugly face possible." Forest chuckled at the banter between his two teammates, knowing fully well that they were the best of friends. However, his chuckle quickly died when he saw unusual tracks in the ground.

"Wait," he instructed. Everyone stopped and looked ahead at Forest. The eagle swordsman knelt down and inspected the tracks that he found. It didn't look like something had walked, but slithered through this tunnel. The tracks went all the way up to the wall, disappearing into large hole in the wall. From the looks of it, it had been here for a while, which was much more possible considering that these tunnels hadn't been used in years.

"We need to keep moving," Forest instructed. "Whatever left these tracks is definitely Grimm. We may be venturing into its territory, so be careful." Everyone rushed forward to see the slithering tracks hat led into the hole in the wall.

"Could it be a King Taijitu?" Ruo asked.

"No," Forest denied. "These tracks are too slender for a King Taijitu. I've seen these tracks before…but I didn't see the Grimm that left them."

"It'd have to have a pretty strong skull to make a hole like that," Robin pointed out. "It looks like its head is much bigger than its body."

"Let's hope we don't see it," Ruo spoke. "I think we've dealt with enough Grimm today."

"Agreed," Math replied. The group took one last look at the slithering tracks before continuing on their way. As before, Ruadh and Forest took the lead while the rest of them followed behind. They were much more cautious now that they believed they were walking into a Grimm's territory.

Ruadh had already checked the map; the other way leading south had no exits anywhere near Vale. It'd take them too far and no one would think of looking for them that far east. This was their best way back to Vale; with luck, they would avoid running into the Grimm whose tracks Forest had found.

"Where did you see this Grimm before?" Nasser asked Forest.

"I only saw its tracks," the veteran responded. "What it left behind…was a trail of dead bodies."

"Where did this happen?" Ruo asked.

"Several years ago, we had investigated a Dust mine near Atlas," Sterling explained. "When we arrived, we found a trail of half-eaten corpses through the mine. Sadly, the tracks went too far underground for us to go further."

"So we have no idea what we could be up against," Nasser deduced cynically. "Alright…for once, I can go without a fight."

"Why didn't you think this when we were up against the Tyrannosaur?" Robin questioned.

"Well…Forest has a plan to kill it," Nasser pointed out. "This Grimm…"

"Don't start with the negativity," Math warned. "We could attract the Grimm if we project too much negativity."

"Wait," Forest told everyone. He knelt down and saw the same tracks from before. These were more recent and…wet; there was a mix of water and blood left behind in the tracks. From the look of it, it seemed that the Grimm leaving these tracks most likely lived in water.

"Ruadh," Forest addressed. "Are there any areas with water on our way out?" Ruadh took a look at the map of the route they were taking. Unfortunately, it said nothing about water areas.

"It doesn't say anything about it," he explained. "Why?"

"This Grimm may be a land and water animal like the Cocodril," Forest answered. "If we get to a water area, we need to be careful."

More time passed as the group continued on. Forest and Ruadh looked behind them to see that the shortness of stamina from the train battle was catching up to everyone. The eagle swordsman looked at his scroll and it read the time 1:44.

"Take a rest," he told everyone as he was certain they were at a safe location. "You have ten minutes to do what you need to do, but stay near." Everyone plopped down on their butts and took the time to rest.

Math and Ruo handed out food for everyone to have since they hadn't eaten in a long while. For those who took the precooked meat, they asked Ruo to use his Fire Dust to heat it up while everyone else just enjoyed the food they had.

"When we get back to Vale, I'm getting myself a chicken fried steak," Math told his teammates. "This mission took a much bigger turn than we had expected."

"Well, you can have all the chicken fried steak you want," Ruo responded. "I'm getting myself pizza."

"I won't lie; some steak sounds good," Nasser spoke.

"You're going to have to get used to this," Forest told the members of Team MRRN. "When you're out on mission, you won't always have the luxury of having restaurants nearby."

"We know," Math replied. "You've taught me that."

"Then think about that food after we've gotten back to Vale and stay focused on getting out of here alive," the veteran told them. "Remember what I said, Math?"

"Stay focused on the mission," the autistic swordsman answered. After that, the veteran swordsman began to think about the type of Grimm they could be up against.

It was definitely similar to the King Taijitu, but its body was much slender. It had to have powerful jaws to be able to burrow through the thick underground walls. Its tracks indicated that the Grimm could travel by both land and water, something most Grimm could not. He had dealt with a lot of Grimm in the past, but he had never seen one like this.

"Is everyone rested up?" Forest asked. The group assured they were ready to move on.

"Then let's move." Everyone stood up and continued on their way through the dark tunnel.

Everyone kept checking around and behind them for the Grimm, but still saw nothing of it other than its tracks. As they ventured, its trail was being seen more and more. While they did not wish to venture into the Grimm's lair, it was the only way left to get back to Vale.

"How much further?" Ruo asked.

"I feel something," Math spoke up. He could feel a breeze on his body, which was soon shared by the others. It meant that the end of the tunnel had to be nearby.

"This way!" Sterling called out and everyone followed. It only took a few minutes before the group approached the exit…nearly a mile above them. The area they were in was a deeply flooded area, almost like a lake. The water was so deep, they couldn't see the bottom…nor the figure moving below them.

"Be careful," Forest warned everyone. "For all we know, we could be in the Grimm's lair right now. Stay away from the water."

The land bridges running across the lake leading to the other side were narrow enough for everyone to walk single file. Forest went first, followed by Math, Robin, Sterling, Nasser, Ruo and finally Ruadh. They were being as careful as they could not to step in the water, fearing they were indeed in the Grimm's lair.

Math felt some fear creep into his heart when he heard ripples in the water. He hadn't heard anyone stepping into the water, so something else had to have caused them.

"I hope it's a very long time before I have to go anywhere underground ever again," the swordsman spoke.

Nasser looked around in the water, having heard the ripples as well. He unsheathed one of his Shafarnasr knives and transformed it into its SMG form.

The ripples were again heard on the other side of their path. Things were becoming a bit uneasy for everyone as they tried to not focus on projecting negativity.

"We're definitely in the Grimm's lair," Ruo deduced.

A tusked head suddenly sprang from the water, its jaws open to devour Nasser. Luckily, he used his Semblance to move to the side and dodge the attack. Unfortunately, this allowed the Grimm to destroy the land bridge, separating Sterling, Nasser, Ruo and Ruadh from Forest, Math and Robin.

"What the hell was that!?" Nasser called out. The Grimm emerged from the water, showing its face and slender snake body to everyone. It has a pair of sharp tusks along with powerful looking teeth and small red eyes, narrowed down at the group it had in its lair as it gave a low growl. With most of its giant and long body underwater, there was no telling how big this Grimm truly was, probably having its body surrounding the group from underwater right now.

"By the Gods," Forest gasped. "It's as I feared."

"What do you mean?" Math asked his mentor. The veteran looked over to his apprentice.

"This Grimm…it's a Grootslang."

 **Author's Notes: I hope you're still enjoying this Fanfic. One I've been enjoying a lot is Someone Special (Yang x Male Reader) by SlinkyDog. Head over to his page, read his Fanfic, and enjoy! Make sure to favorite and follow!**


	20. A Miraculous Escape

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **Volume 2, Chapter 20: A Miraculous Escape**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

"A Grootslang?" Math asked his mentor. "Have you ever fought one before?"

"Never have," the veteran admitted. The Grimm gave out a deafening roar, nearly shaking everything in the area. Robin quickly nocked an arrow and shot at its eye, but it narrowly dodged the projectile and lunged at the archer. He flipped to the side, dodged its powerful jaws. Instead of pulling back, it jumped into the water, its long slithering body following behind it.

"Robin," Math addressed. "Can you see it?" The redhead archer used his Semblance to track down the Grimm, but none of his abilities could track it.

"I can't see it anywhere," he informed everyone.

"Get your weapons ready!" Math called out to his teammates as he unsheathed his sword. "It could be anywhere!" Nasser was about to jump, but Sterling stopped him.

"If you jump, you'll be easy prey for it," the Snow Fox warned. "We need to find another way around."

"Over there!" Ruadh pointed out. They looked to their far right to see a larger land bridge that would allow them to safely rejoin their comrades.

"Then go that way!" Math told them. "We'll-" As he started to walk, another Grimm struck from the water and bit Math's leg, causing him to give out a yell of pain. The Grimm, identified as a Cocodril, tried to drag Math into the water, but he quickly pierced its head with his Aura-imbued sword.

"Are you okay?" Forest asked the leader of Team MRRN.

"I'm fine," Math assured. "My leg hurts a bit, but my Aura stopped me from taking any actual injury."

"We got more!" Ruo warned as more Cocodrils emerged from the water and crawled onto the land bridges.

"How did you miss these, Robin?" Nasser questioned.

"They must've been lurking as deep as the Grootslang," Robin answered. "The sooner we get out of here, the better." The Grootslang rose from the water and lunged once more at Math. He gripped his blade with both hands and ferociously slashed at the Grimm's head. Even though it screamed in pain, the attack seemed to do very little damage.

"What?" the swordsman gasped. "It barely did any damage."

"This Grimm is old," Sterling pointed out. "Very old…and older Grimm are much stronger than normal ones."

"Luckily, these Cocodrils don't look so strong," Ruo spoke as the Cocodrils crawled closer to them.

"We need to meet back up with each other and get out of here," Forest told everyone. "Stay on land and don't jump over the water unless absolutely necessary." The Grootslang let out a loud roar before descending its head into the water and bringing its massive tail up. It then brought it down on the three fighters, who managed to dodge it in time. Sadly, the land they were standing on was destroyed.

"Keep moving!" Forest told everyone. "Don't let it trap you!" More Cocodrils emerged from the water, this time coming towards Forest, Math and Robin.

The other four moved across the land bridges to reunite with their separated allies, but several more Cocodrils crawled onto the ground and growled. Sterling drew out four arrows and fired two each at different Cocodrils. Ruadh rushed forward and killed another with a slash of his axe.

"Damn," Nasser commented as he slammed his chains at two Cocodrils, cutting them cleanly in half. He then swiped his left chain to knock aside another one, causing it to painfully slam into a wall.

The Grootslang arose from the depths once more and turned its attention to Ruo, who had his back turned to it. Nasser saw the Grimm lunge for his teammate and used his Semblance to boost himself forward, knocking Ruo out of the way. Unfortunately, Nasser was pushed by the Grootslang into the deep water, causing a loud splash.

"Nasser!" Ruo called out as he approached the edge of land and looked into the water, but saw nothing.

Nasser shook his head as he looked around in the dark waters. The Grootslang seemed to be swimming past him, but it turned around, its jaws open to swallow him whole. The knife user used his Semblance once again to launch himself up and away from the Grootslang's jaws.

He launched upward enough to reach the surface and reach for land, where Ruo extended a hand to him and pulled him up.

"You okay?" the Faunus asked him.

"I'll be fine," Nasser assured. "That Grimm's not having me for dinner." The Grimm emerged from the water once more and gave out a loud roar, causing a few rocks to fall from the ceiling. It then lunged forward, but Nasser grabbed Ruo and launched the two of them out of the Grootslang's attack.

On the other side, Math and the two with him were moving while fighting against the innumerable Cocodrils that were popping out of the water. Math cut the head of one Cocodril off before impaling his blade through another one's torso.

"How are there so many of these things?" Robin asked as he shot a Cocodril through the eyes. "There's too many of them." The Grootslang descended into the water and swam towards Math, Robin and Forest, its eyes just above the water to keep sight of its prey.

"Oh no, you don't!" Forest growled, transforming Rohkeus into an assault rifle. He took several shots at the Grimm's right eye; still, it barely did any damage. As it was a few meters away, it lunged out of the water, it jaws open to devour Math. The autistic swordsman caught sight of this and quickly activated Dionach.

The Grootslang's tusks bore down against Mathdon's shield. The swordsman was using all the strength he had to hold it back, smelling its foul breath as it left its mouth wide open. Robin took the opportunity to grab two arrows from his quiver, one an Ice Dust, the other an Earth.

The archer nocked the Ice Dust arrow first and fired at the Grimm's right eye. Upon impact, a thick sheet of ice covered the Grimm's eye. Robin then nocked the Earth Dust arrow and fired again. It shattered the ice, along with the Grimm's eye, causing it to roar in pain. More rocks fell from the ceiling, a few of them hitting the Grootslang's head and knocking it back into the water.

"Did we get it?" Robin asked. In only a few moments' time, the Grimm emerged from the water once more, seemingly undamaged except for its now destroyed eye.

"No, we didn't," Math pointed out.

On the other side, Ruadh gave out a loud shout as he cleaved a Cocodril's head in half. He then swung it again, cleaving the axe blade deep into another one's body. Sterling leapt over the axe user's head and shot two more arrows, both of them exploding upon impact on the Cocodrils killed.

"Do we have a plan for that big Grimm?" Nasser asked. "We've barely made a scratch on it." The Grootslang roared once more; again, rocks from the ceiling fell, one of them nearly striking Nasser.

"If it keeps roaring like that, it'll cause a cave-in!" Math warned. He looked at the colossal Grimm, noticing the only damage it had taken was on its face, where he had slashed it and Robin had shot its eye.

It once again lunged at Math, who dodged its attack. Before retracting its head, Math imbued his blade with two Aura Swords and ferociously slashed at the left side of its face. It dove back into the water after recovering from the attack; after most of its body was underwater, it lifted its tail up and brought it down again on the land bridges. Luckily, it failed to separate the three fighters together.

"Its only weak spot is its head," Sterling pointed out. "It's already half-blind, but it's not down yet."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ruadh asked as he prepared to load a rocket, but the Snow Fox Faunus stopped him.

"Don't use your rockets! The force of them may help cause a collapse." Ruadh put the rocket back and continued to fight off the Cocodrils as he and the three fighters with him continued to fight their way to the land bridge that would allow them to reunite with their comrades.

"Sterling! Robin!" Forest called out as he slew a Cocodril. "When the Grootslang emerges from the water, aim for its other eye!"

The Grootslang again emerged from the water; this time, it slithered onto land, blocking the way for Forest and the two students with him. It glared down at them, giving a low growl before biting at Forest, who deflected the attack with Rohkeus' blade.

It wrapped its body around in a circle, hiding its face whenever it was not attacking, making it impossible for Robin or Sterling to shoot its other eye. The redheaded archer couldn't travel along its body or he'd risk being thrown into the water where the Grootslang could easily devour him.

Suddenly, Robin got an idea.

"Math!" he called out. "I have an idea."

"What is it?" the swordsman asked.

"How much Aura do you have?" Math opened his scroll to see that it read at 42%.

"42%," he answered. "Why?"

"I'll lure out the Grootslang's head and dodge it," the archer explained. "When it's out in the open, use your Semblance to deal more damage to it."

"Alright," the swordsman agreed. "Just be careful and don't get eaten." Robin smirked at his teammate and leapt onto the Grootslang's wrapped body while the swordsman imbued his weapon with three of his Aura Swords.

"Hey, ugly," the archer cockily taunted. "Who was your mother, a snake or an elephant? Because I can't tell!" The Grootslang immediately lunged at the archer, who nimbly dodged its attack and allowed Mathdon the perfect opportunity to throw a powerful shockwave at its head.

The attack blasted its face apart, leaving it to cry in agony before diving again into the water. It was near death now, but it was still able to put up a fight.

Meanwhile, the Cocodrils were continuing to pour in like a literal flood. Everyone was managing to hold them back, killing them one after another, but by now, it was obvious that if they didn't get a move on, they'd risk being overwhelmed.

The Grootslang reappeared once more; this time, it didn't attack any of the fighters. Instead, it slammed its tail against the underground wall.

At first, nothing happened. They thought the Grimm was simply trying to cause a cave-in, but what happened next proved them wrong.

A large part of the ceiling collapsed, causing water to flood into the area. The water began to rise to their feet.

The room was flooding, which would make them much easier targets for the Grootslang to devour.

"Run for it!" Math shouted. Everyone forgot about the Cocodrils and ran across the land bridges to the path that would take them to the exit. The Grootslang quickly dove into the water, aiming for the land bridge that would allow Sterling, Ruadh, Ruo and Nasser safe passage to meet up with their comrades.

"Oh, no," the knife user whispered as he noticed the Grootslang swimming to the land bridge they were approached. Without a second thought, Nasser grabbed the arms of Ruadh and Ruo, got behind Sterling and used his Semblance to propel all of them forward, meeting up with the others.

"Thanks, lad," Ruadh spoke.

"Save that thanks for later," the knife user responded. "Let's get out of here before we're food for that Grimm!" All of them made their way to the path that would take them to the exit.

The water was now rising above their feet, making it hard for those in the back to move towards the upward path. The Grootslang had its sights on Ruo and lunged at him.

"Get the hell away from him!" Math roared as he imbued Claiomh Solais with two of his Aura Swords and threw a shockwave at the Grootslang. It knocked the Grimm back, allowing Math to rush to his teammate and get him onto the path to the exit.

"Keep moving!" Forest instructed. The water continued to rise as the seven of them hurried up the path, Cocodrils and the Grootslang still after them. Ruadh took the opportunity to load a rocket into his weapon and fired at the path behind them, stopping the Cocodrils from getting them until the water had risen up enough.

"Nice thinking," Sterling praised his short teammate.

The water was rapidly catching up with them, allowing the Cocodrils to continue up the part of the path that Ruadh destroyed. The Grootslang lunged its head at Ruadh and Nasser, who were the last two going up the path. The axe user pushed Nasser aside and raised his weapon to block the attack; instead, he himself was knocked from the path and into the water.

"Ruadh!" Math called out. He attempted to jump in after him, but Sterling stopped him.

"He'll get himself out," the Snow Fox Faunus assured.

Sure enough, Ruadh used a rocket to launch himself up and out of the water, laughing while he did.

"You're not having me for dinner, bastards!" he taunted before Sterling extended his hand and caught Ruadh's in his.

"You okay?" Math asked the bald veteran.

"I'll be fine, lad," he assured. The Grootslang lunged at them, but they all got out of the way of the Grimm's attack.

"Will it be able to follow us out?" Nasser asked Forest.

"If the entrance is large enough, yes," the veteran answered. "We're not taking the chance. Ruadh! Mathdon!" His teammate looked up at him.

"When it opens its mouth, fire a rocket and throw another shockwave if you have the Aura for it."

"I have enough," Math assured. Ruadh loaded a rocket into his weapon while Math waited to imbue his weapon with his Aura Swords. Both of them waited for the colossal Grimm to open its mouth once again.

As they neared the exit, the Grootslang had not tried to open its mouth, possibly sensing Math and Ruadh waiting for it to do so. Instead, it continued to stay in the water, its face hidden as it watched the group rush up the path to the exit.

"What is it waiting for?" Robin wondered.

"The older some Grimm get, the more they learn," Sterling told him. "It's waiting for its opportunity."

"Opportunity to rip us to shreds?" Nasser asked as they continued their way up.

It was only a little ways more towards the exit and the Grootslang was nowhere to be seen. This worried some of them, expecting that the colossal Grimm was waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Just as the first of them was about to reach the exit, the Grootslang rose from the water and bit down on the exit, trying to break apart the ceiling. Ruadh pointed his rocket at the Grimm's head and Math imbued Claiomh Solais with all four of his Aura Swords, leaving him with very little Aura to spare.

"Eat this, you bastard!" Ruadh shouted. He then fired his rocket at the Grimm's head, causing it to stumble back into the water and away from the exit.

"Take this!" Math shouted as threw Claiomh Solais at the Grootslang; in a bright flash of light and a loud boom, the Grimm's head was now completely destroyed. Its lifeless body plummeted back into the water with a loud splash. Using the small bit of Aura he had left, Math retrieved his sword and sheathed it.

"Hurry!" Sterling insisted. "The water's still rising!" Just as Robin was about to move, a Cocodril emerged from the water and sunk its teeth into his leg, though his Aura prevented any injury. It tugged at him, trying to drag him into the water. Just as it was about to be successful, an ice spike flew right by Robin's face and impaled onto the Grimm's head.

"Thanks, Ruo," Robin said as he took the Faunus's hand and rushed back up to the exit.

Suddenly, the ceiling of the battle site crumbled further, causing more water to flood into the room. The force of it was causing the passage to the exit to crumble, much to the worry of the group.

"Run like hell!" Ruadh shouted and everyone ran through the passage, getting hit by rocks as they did. To protect themselves and the others, Math and Forest activated their shield and gauntlet.

The water was catching up with them much faster than before. They were only meters away from the exit now, which appeared as a large door that was rusted shut.

"Step back!" Ruadh warned as he loaded his last rocket and pointed at the door. The rocket flew through the air and exploded on the door, reducing it to splinters. Upon its destruction, sunlight could be seen seeping into the passage.

"We're almost there!" Math told them. With all the energy they had left, everyone rushed out of the passage, away from the water…and into the sunlight as the cave collapsed.

It was over. Team MRRN and the three veterans had fought the Iron Knights, taken down a Tyrannosaur, and escaped from the Grootslang.

"Man, I never want to go underground ever again," Ruo stated.

"Just be glad we're out," Nasser spoke.

"Not all of us," Math brought up, thinking about the professor. He felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder, belonging to Forest.

"There was nothing you could've done and this is not on you," he assured. Just then, loud whirring could be heard from above. They looked up…to see none other than a Bullhead descending.

"Need some help?" a professor from Beacon asked. None of them were in any mood to ask questions; instead, they all just hopped onto the Bullhead, now returning to Beacon Academy.

"Geez, you guys look awful," one of the students commented, noting how dirty all the guys looked covered in dirt and mud. Nasser quickly recognized the voice, belonging to none other than Octavia Ember.

"Well, we fought a lot of Grimm down there," Math explained. "How'd you know we were here?"

"We saw the dust from the collapse," Gwen answered. "When we saw it, we turned around to see if it was survivors. It's a good thing we did."

"I'll let Ozpin know we picked you up," the pilot informed. "What's your team name?"

"MRRN," Math answered. "Now let's get back to Beacon. I have a headache."

-0-

Teams IRIS and JNPR were getting ready for their departure to save Team MRRN, considering how late it was.

Safirlas opened her locker to show her light blue spear, Himmelkanten, which had a compartment for throwing knives near the spearhead. It served as an excellent weapon for her martial arts skills, having never failed her before.

"Is everyone ready?" Medeia asked, readying her bow and arrows.

"Ready," Rong answered, his hook swords placed on his back.

"Sure am," Imamu assured as he got out his shotel and shield.

"Let's go help my brother," Safirlas replied.

"That won't be necessary," Ozpin suddenly spoke, stepping into the locker room. "I was contacted by a Bullhead pilot outside of Vale. Team MRRN has been found."

"They found Math!?" Safirlas gasped. "Is he okay?"

"Other than a few bumps and bruises, he says he's fine, along with his teammates," Ozpin assured. "They'll be landing by tonight."

A sweep of relief rushed over the students upon hearing the news of Team MRRN's fate. They placed their weapons back in their lockers now that the need to go after them was gone.

"Did they say what happened?" Pyrrha asked.

"Their mission took an unexpected turn," the Beacon Headmaster. "Unfortunately, Professor Kura was killed."

"Professor Kura?" Pyrrha repeated. "He's dead? I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thank you for your condolences, Ms. Nikos," Ozpin replied. "He was one of my best professors here. I will be arranging a funeral service for him soon, so I'll be keeping everyone updated."

With that, the Headmaster left the locker room, his mind occupied about the news of Alan Kura's demise. He was indeed one of his best professors…and closest friends. Someone he had chosen to trust with the information of Salem's existence.

Now he was gone. How he was killed, he was not informed. However, what he was informed of was the three veterans that were with Team MRRN, veterans he knew all too well. While he was grateful for them undoubtedly saving Team MRRN's lives, he also wished he wasn't with them, knowing how angry Forest would be.

"I'm sorry, Alan," Ozpin silently apologized.

-0-

"Here we are," Math informed everyone as Beacon Academy came into sight, even though the sun was already setting. Luckily, lights guided the way to the docks, allowing the Bullhead to land smoothly on the pad.

"Well, that was an adventure," Robin commented as they all got off the Bullhead, wiping the dust off of them.

"Man, we're going to need a shower," Math spoke as he sniffed his shoulder and gave out a gasp of disgust.

"Well, you definitely need one," Nasser teased as Team NDGO walked away from them. Octavia waved at the knife user, who reciprocated it.

"Aww, you have a thing for Octavia~" Robin teased him, earning him an elbow in the stomach.

"What will you do, Forest?" Math asked his mentor.

"I'll go let Ozpin know about what happened," he answered. "You four should go ahead and get some rest."

"Will you be staying at Beacon?" Robin asked.

"No," Forest answered. "I will be staying in Vale, though. These Iron Knights…they're up to something and Vale's going to need all the professional Huntsmen it can get."

"Hopefully, we stop those bastards," Math added. "Especially Nachtfel."

"We've stopped them…for now," Sterling pointed out. "I doubt they'll stop because of one setback."

"Thanks…again, for saving us," Math spoke.

"Go get some rest, lad," Ruadh spoke. "You four have earned it." Team MRRN walked away from the landing pad and into the school towards the dorms. Upon arriving-

"MATH!" a voice called out, belonging to Pyrrha. She rushed to Math and leapt onto him, her arms wrapped around his neck. He returned the embrace by wrapping his own arms around her torso.

"Hey, Pyrrha," he greeted. "Sorry I smell bad."

"I don't care," she replied, hugging him tightly. Ruo was about to speak until he felt two arms pull him into an embrace.

"Ruo!' Yang cheered as she hugged him. "I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried!"

"I'm fine, Yang," Ruo assured. "A few bumps and bruises, but otherwise, we're fine." He then planted a gentle kiss on her lips, but it obviously didn't satisfy her. She pulled him in for a short yet passionate liplock, which was only broken when Yang allowed Ruo to pull away.

"I'm going to have to get used to that, aren't I?" he asked. Yang smirked and nodded her head.

"What happened out there!?" Ruby demanded to know. "You guys look awful."

"Ruby!" Weiss scolded.

"No, no, she's right," Math interrupted with a chuckle. "We look like crap. As for what happened…we'd rather wait until we're feeling awake to do so."

"Damn right," Nasser agreed. "I'm ready to get a shower and hit the sack."

Everyone walked back to the dorms together. In the hallway, Pyrrha gently pulled on Math's arm.

"After you've showered and dressed…would you be willing to spend the night with me again?" she asked with an innocent look of love in her eyes.

"Will your teammates be okay with it?" he asked. "Last time, we-"

"They're okay with it," Pyrrha assured. Math smiled at her.

"Then yes," he answered. The redhead smiled before kissing his cheek and walking off to her dorm.

"Goodnight, Yang," Ruo told his girlfriend as he started to walk into his dorm before she stopped him.

"Hold on," she spoke. "You're not getting away from me that easily." Ruo raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"When you're done showering and getting dressed, you're coming to my dorm," she stated.

"What!?" Weiss asked. "He can't stay with us. He-"

"Says who?" Yang asked her white-themed teammate. "You don't have a problem sleeping with me, right?"

"No, I don't," Ruo answered.

"Then it's settled," Yang grinned. As she walked off, Ruby walked up to Ruo.

"She tosses and turns while she sleeps," she warned the White Tiger. "You may wake up with her feet in your face."

"I've dealt with worse," Ruo responded. "As long as she doesn't knock me off the bed."

"I heard that!" Yang shouted, popping her head out of her dorm. "Don't believe what she said, Ruo! I'm a perfect sleeper."

"I love you all the same, Yang," the Faunus responded with a smile.

"Awww, I love you too~" she replied. "Don't take too long."

"Gross!" Ruby whined.

"You'll understand when you're older," Yang assured her younger sister.

While everyone else was getting ready to shower, Nasser put down the sack from the tunnel and opened it. He then placed it in an envelope, writing 'From Nasser', before placing it under his mattress.

"You coming, Nasser?" Robin asked his teammate.

"Yeah," the knife user assured. "I'll worry about putting my weapons in my locker tomorrow."

"You're not the only one," the archer informed, pointing to Claiomh Solais, Dionach and Huzhao on the beds of their respective owners. The archer then walked off with his bathing stuff, leaving the knife user by himself.

He looked around before taking another thing out of the bag: a bottle of vodka. He had hoped to have tonight with his teammate, but considering they were very tired and Math and Ruo would be sleeping with their girlfriends, he would save it for another night. For now, they would just rest and savor the fact that they returned to Beacon.

 **Author's Notes: Volume 2 is drawing to a close! I hope you've been enjoying this Fanfic so far and will favorite and follow! Volume 3 will be a separate book, so make sure to access my profile when I post it up. Enjoy!**


	21. Hard Truths

**RWBY: MRRN**

 **Volume 2, Chapter 21: Hard Truths**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.**

"Alan is dead?" Ironwood asked, his fist clenched. "I knew sending him was a mistake. If you had just listened to me-"

"Will you stop that already?" Goodwitch scolded. Just then, a projection of the words 'Entry Requested' appeared on Ozpin's desk.

"Come in," he answered. He hoped it was Team MRRN; instead, it was Forest, Sterling and Ruadh. The minute the doors opened, tensions were immediately felt between everyone.

"You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?" Forest questioned Ozpin as he stepped out of the elevator.

"What are you doing here?" Ironwood asked hostilely.

"I'm here because you sent a team of students against someone as dangerous as Valkoin," Forest shot back. "What were you thinking, especially when you knew he was there?"

"It was meant to be a recon mission," Ozpin answered. "They weren't supposed to engage the enemy unless necessary."

"No, what happened was that Valkoin came for them and the team was nearly killed," Forest explained. "If we hadn't been there, you'd have four more dead students."

"They knew the risks of becoming Huntsmen and they accept them," Ozpin defended. Forest shook his head.

"They signed on to be protectors of those who cannot protect themselves, not to be pawns in your war," the veteran snarled. "To make things worse, you knew Valkoin was there and you sent them anyway. You and I both know how dangerous he is. Have you lost your mind?"

"That's enough!" Goodwitch barked at Forest. "Ozpin has experience none of us have."

"If you mean experience at lying and keeping vital information from everyone, then yes, he does have more experience," Ruadh spoke, earning him a glare from Goodwitch.

"You have no right to sacrifice these students just because you value keeping your secrets over their lives," Forest told Ozpin. "You lie just so you can play everything close to the chest. Not some things, everything."

"I did not lie to them," Ozpin argued. "I told them Professor Kura would explain once they arrived."

"You told them they were just 'disturbances', not the damn Iron Knights!" the veteran swordsman barked, getting fed up with Ozpin justifying everything. "You kept them in the dark until it was too late for them to turn back. If this mission was so important, why didn't you send professional Huntsmen?"

"Because all of the Huntsmen here are occupied with the Iron Knights," the Beacon Headmaster responded.

"You honestly don't think they could've spared at least a few Huntsmen for this?" Forest asked with immense disbelief in his tone. "It was an IRON KNIGHT hideout, the same militia they're dealing with here. Just because Team MRRN faced the Knights once doesn't mean they're ready to fight them in their territory. They were not prepared and that is why I had to kill Alan."

There was silence in the room, almost like a bomb went off. Ironwood and Goodwitch glared at Forest after confessing he killed Alan Kura.

"What?" the Atlesian General growled.

"Valkoin tortured him," Forest explained. "When we found him, Valkoin had connected a wire to his heart that would kill him if we pulled it or set off a bomb if we cut it. The wire started to kill Alan, so I did it out of mercy."

"So you wouldn't even look for a way to save him?" Ironwood questioned.

"What did you three do?" Ruadh called out. "While we were out there, risking our lives along with Team MRRN, you were all here in the comfort of your office. What did you do to save Alan?"

"Ruadh," Sterling spoke, calming his teammate's temper. The short Huntsman sighed before calming down.

"You're playing favorites again, aren't you?" Forest questioned the Beacon Headmaster. "Just like you did with us and Team STRQ, you're doing it again and, as before, you'll only tell them half the truth. Many of the things we know now, we didn't find out until years after we joined you."

"I told you everything you needed to know," Ozpin responded. "There are simply some matters I prefer to play close to the chest."

"You play EVERYTHING close to the chest," Forest called out. "You asked us to put our lives on the line for this war, but you won't give any of us the luxury of a proper explanation. You expect us to give everything for you while you barely do anything for those you ask to fight for you."

"You know Ozpin's not like that," Goodwitch told Forest. "You know why we have to work in the shadows. You know why we have to do some of the things we do."

"I do understand some of the things we did and still do," Forest replied. "Should we be careful of who to trust with this information? Yes. Do we need people to fight Salem? Yes. Those things I understand. What I do not understand is what justifies throwing away peoples' lives like they mean nothing, what justifies keeping your own allies in the dark."

"Mr. Kotka, if all you did was come here to chew me out for this mission, then you need to leave," the Beacon Headmaster insisted. Forest looked at him with disbelief and distrust in his green eyes.

"I forgot," he spoke. "You can do whatever you want and no one's allowed to raise questions. This is why you make more enemies than friends, Ozpin."

"Leave," the Beacon Headmaster demanded. Forest glared over at the Headmaster, believing this was proving his point. The way he saw it, he was telling Ozpin the truth and the Headmaster didn't want to hear it.

"If you want information, here it is," Forest started. "Valkoin is working with the Iron Knights. They were planning an attack on Beacon and Vale after the Vytal Festival was over, but called it off."

"We know," Ironwood responded. "I already have Torchwick locked up in my ship. Their plan is foiled."

"Their plan is interrupted," Sterling corrected. "You honestly believe one setback will stop Salem? She's not someone who just quits. She won't stop until she's achieved her goal."

"Then my army will be there to stop her," Ironwood claimed.

"You think Salem will cower in fear of your army and fleet?" Forest questioned. "You place too much stock in your army. A grand display of Atlesian power will not convince her to stop."

"Why won't you trust us?" Ironwood demanded to know. "You fought alongside us for years before you decided to abandon us."

"You're honestly going to preach to me about trust?" the veteran swordsman questioned. "You've always demanded trust from others, but you're not willing to do the same for them. You have always been hypocritical when it comes to trusting others."

"That is enough," Ozpin sternly interrupted. "Mr. Kotka, you and your teammates need to leave." Before Ruadh could speak out, Sterling stopped him. There was a moment of silence before Forest started walking towards the elevator, followed by his teammates.

"I don't want Mathdon and his friends to get involved in this war or anyone who's not ready," Forest spoke. "If Math gets involved, then I'll be there for him…and I sure as hell won't lie." With that, the three veterans left the office.

"Well, he's charming as ever," Goodwitch responded.

"Glynda," Ozpin addressed. "Please hold an announcement tomorrow that we will be holding a funeral service for Alan Kura the day after tomorrow."

"I will," she assured.

-0-

All of the Beacon staff and students were standing in the courtyard, facing the prestigious Academy. Everyone was dressed in black and dark colors for the funeral service, including Ozpin, Goodwitch, and Ironwood. They stood atop a podium with a portrait of Alan Kura in front of a wide array of flowers. The Beacon Headmaster approached the microphone and began to speak.

" _Thank you all for coming today,"_ he started. _"On one of our most recent missions, we lost a dear friend of ours; Grimm studies teacher Professor Alan Kura."_

Math still felt the anger of the Professor's death weigh on him, despite Forest's previous assurance that what happened was not his fault. He felt a tear slowly roll down his cheek before feeling someone gently grab his hand. He looked up to see that it was Pyrrha wearing a black dress and heels in an attempt to comfort him.

" _Sadly, we cannot give Professor Kura a proper burial as his body was not recovered,"_ Ozpin continued. _"Still, we must honor his memory as a Huntsman who dedicated his strength and willpower to the safety of this kingdom, to ensuring that the future generations of Huntsmen would continue to serve in our place once we were gone."_

Ruo hated this. He hated that Ozpin kept them in the dark about what they were truly up against, which led to them being taken by surprise. He felt that Ozpin was just as responsible for Alan's death along with Valkoin and the Iron Knights. His hands clenched into fists, his teeth almost baring at his Headmaster.

" _Alan Kura was one of my most dear friends and one of the longest serving teachers at Beacon Academy,"_ Ozpin went on. _"He served at this Academy for fifteen years, giving all the knowledge he had to the students that came into his classroom. His death is not only a tragedy, but an eye opener for many of you here."_

"Eye opener?" Math wondered, raising an eyebrow.

" _This is the reality of the Huntsmen,"_ Ozpin continued. _"We are the ones often asked to pay a very high price because others cannot. We are often the ones who give our lives so that many more may live. In the years to come, many of you will lose friends, some of you may not even make it through these four years here at Beacon. But this is the life you chose. These are the risks you chose and accepted. Do not ever forget this."_

After the funeral service and burial, everyone was allowed to approach Alan Kura's grave and place items there in honor of him. Pyrrha and Math walked up together and placed a bouquet of red flowers on his grave while Weiss place one of white flowers.

"Goodbye, professor," Math whispered as he left the grave along with his friends.

Unknown to them, three students smirked as they walked away from the burial.

"Well," Mercury started. "That's one way to get rid of one of Ozpin's friends."

"But the attack was stopped," Emerald brought up. "And to make matters worse, Forest Kotka is here."

This honestly worried Cinder a little. Forest was no longer a member of Ozpin's group, so he would not follow his agenda and prioritize subtlety over stopping their plans. Luckily, what gave them an advantage was that he didn't know about the Fall Maiden, which was their main objective; as long as he didn't find out, their plan still stood to succeed.

"For now, we lay low," Cinder instructed. "We'll tell the Iron Knights and White Fang to stop all activities for now. We cannot risk our plan failing."

"Nachtfel won't take this well," Mercury brought up.

"I don't care of how he takes this," the ashen haired woman responded bluntly. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm the one calling the shots for now. He'd do well to remember that."

"Man, love it when you get all threatening," Mercury complimented. The three of them continued on back to their dorm. While Cinder had claimed earlier that everything was still a success, she was furious at how the plan had been stopped by Teams RWBY and MRRN.

"Those two teams are becoming a real thorn in our side," she thought to herself. "We'll have to keep a closer eye on them for now."

-0-

Classes were cancelled due to the funeral service, so all of the students were allowed to return to their dorms. Teams MRRN, JNPR, and RWBY all walked back together to their dorms, departing from each other after arriving.

After entering their dorm, the members of Team MRRN were silent, no trace of sound anywhere to be heard. They weren't even doing anything; they were just sitting on their beds, thinking about their mission.

Had Ozpin really sent them up against a fighter who they were no match against? They didn't want to think that their Headmaster would do something like this, but considering all that had been happened, it was most likely.

They knew Ozpin had stopped Goodwitch from pointing out Ruby's lie of the fight with the masked woman. He had known the Iron Knights were up in the north and merely told them that they were 'disturbances'; even after Alan Kura explained the situation, they were unprepared for the full assault of the Iron Knights.

"What is with him?" Ruo asked, breaking the silence. "When I first came here, I thought Ozpin was mysterious, but trustworthy. Now…how could he have willingly done something like this?"

"He must've thought we were ready," Robin suggested.

"Ready?" Math asked in disbelief. "Maybe we did well at the Vytal Committee, but Nasser and I almost got killed by Nachtfel. We wouldn't have survived this mission if it weren't for Forest, Sterling and Ruadh." Math rose up from his bed and looked sternly at his teammates.

"We are NOT ready to take them on. We may be trained, but we're still students. Those Knights have been training possibly far longer than we have."

"What are you saying?" Nasser asked. "To just stand by and do nothing while those Iron Knight bastards kill innocent people?"

"We'd be making the same mistake Team RWBY made," Ruo brought up, everyone turning their attention to him.

"Team RWBY was arrested because they thought they could save the kingdom single-handedly and look what happened; people still talk about the Paladin Incident behind their backs, despite Ozpin telling them not to. They were arrested and nearly stayed behind bars."

"He's right," Robin agreed. "We will do something about those Iron Knights and hopefully avenge Professor Kura's death…but only once we're ready." Nasser looked at his teammates and felt the urge to be mad, but resisted it.

The team was right; by going after the Iron Knights, they would be repeating the same mistakes Team RWBY made during the Torchwick investigation. From what they had heard, they were still suffering criticism from the other students to this day for their actions that got people killed. If they went after the Knights now, they'd probably do the same thing, maybe even worse.

"Alright," the knife user conceded.

"For now, let's just be happy we're alive," Math insisted.

"Then let's celebrate," Nasser suggested as he went over to the closet and pulled out a bottle of vodka, much to his team's shock.

"Vodka?" Math scolded. "You brought alcohol onto campus? Have you lost your mind?"

"Is that what you took from the train?" Ruo asked.

"Sure is," Nasser confirmed. "I think in honor of our first mission, we should have a drink."

"No," Ruo refused. "Having drinks off campus, I'd be open to. But on campus-"

"No one will know," the knife user responded. "Come on."

"Maybe we should just have one," Math agreed.

"What?" Robin asked.

"Just a drink…to honor Professor Kura." Nasser's smirk changed into one of sympathy, the image of Alan Kura's death coming back into his mind.

"If that's how you feel about it," Ruo spoke. "If it's to honor a comrade, then I'll have one drink."

"I'm in," Robin agreed. All of them pulled out separate mugs and placed them on the table. Nasser then opened the bottle of vodka and poured each of the cups halfway before each of them picked them up.

"Professor Kura was a good man," Math spoke, holding up his mug, prompting the others to do the same. "He was one of my favorite teachers here. One day, we'll be strong enough to stop those Iron Knights so we can do our best to prevent more deaths like his. Rest in peace." They all clinked their cups and drank from them.

"First time having alcohol on campus," Nasser chuckled.

"And our only time," Math demanded.

-0-

Valkoin wiped the dust off of his clothes as he used his portal to enter Salem's meeting room, where he was greeted by her sitting at the head of the long table.

"Your Grace," he addressed, bowing his head.

"Valkoin," Salem sternly replied. "You were supposed to contact me once the train had reached the outpost."

"It did not," the wire master confessed. "Forest and his compatriots got on board and started a battle. Needless to say, it attracted Grimm and the train was wrecked."

"And Kura?" Salem questioned.

"Dead." Salem glared at him, her hands rolled into fists in anger of what she had just heard. Luckily, she immediately calmed down and her eyes ceased to glow red.

"We're thinking up a new plan as we speak," she informed. "One advantage we have right now is that she instilled the virus into Beacon's system. She now has access to anything and everything."

"Could that include the Fall Maiden's location?" Valkoin asked.

"No," Salem denied. "Ozpin would never put anything related to his conflict in the system. You know how he is; he plays everything close to the chest."

"But if we understand correctly now, Forest and his compatriots are now in Vale," the wire master informed. "They don't follow Ozpin's agenda, meaning they won't be valuing subtlety over stopping us."

"He'll be searching blindly in the dark since he knows nothing of the Fall Maiden," Salem responded. "As long as he doesn't know about her or Cinder being at Beacon, then our plan still stands to succeed."

"I understand," Valkoin replied. "What are your orders?"

"For now, I wish for you to remain with the Iron Knights outside Vale," she answered. "As long as you stay with them, we will still have influence over them. We'll need the help of every major force we can get…and no one is more motivated to fight Huntsmen than the Iron Knights."

"It will be done," the wire master obeyed.

"Good," Salem replied. "Now go." Valkoin bowed his head and went on his way out of the room.

"Valkoin," the Grimm Queen addressed once more, making him stop.

"I received word from Tyrian. It appears Glaucus Viisaus is on his way to Vale. He'll be there for the Vytal Festival."

Valkoin's shades hid the anger in his eyes, though the rest of his expression remained neutral. He nodded his head before continuing on.

-0-

"WHAT!?" Nachtfel roared as Cinder was in his quarters. "Why would we call off the attack? We had an advantage!"

"Because Roman put it into action far too early," Cinder answered. "Our plan would only work if it was a two-pronged approach. With Torchwick in Ironwood's ship, we had to abandon the attack." The demon fighter unsheathed his nodachi and pointed it at the ashen haired beauty.

"We were promised the destruction of Beacon!" he growled. "I promised my Knights-"

"And you will have it," Cinder calmly yet sternly interrupted, conjuring a fireball in her hand. "I'd sheathe your sword if I were you." Nachtfel didn't even move the blade an inch away from her.

"I will not be intimidated," he warned. "You may be the one who thought up this operation, but we're the ones carrying it out. YOU came to US, remember? These Knights will only listen to me, so killing me will rid you of their support." Cinder snickered for a moment before extinguishing the flame in her hand.

"If you knew how much power I'd soon wield, you'd cower for your life," she stated. "Not that many people have the gull to stand up to me, let alone pointed a blade."

"As I said, I will not be intimidated," the demon repeated, then sheathing his sword.

"Do you have a new plan to destroy Beacon?"

"Not right now," Cinder answered. "But I will."

"You better," the devil swordsman threatened. "I promised my brothers and sisters the destruction of Beacon. They will have it…even if it means forfeiting your plan." Cinder chuckled once more before it became a villainous laugh.

"You are bold, Nachtfel," she stated before approaching him and putting a hand on his armor. "If we knew each other more, I think I'd be interested in you." The warrior grabbed her hand with his blood-coated gauntlet and pushed it away.

"Seduction doesn't work on me from anyone," he bluntly stated. Cinder frowned at the leader of the Iron Knights.

"Just do your job and I'll do mine," she responded before leaving.

Nachtfel was left alone in his quarters, thinking about the news he had received from her. Not only did their attack fail, but now they had to stop their fighting against the Huntsmen, especially now that they had managed to get the entire list from the Council Hall.

"This setback won't stop me," he spoke as he took his helmet off and placed it on a rack. "The Huntsmen took everything away from me…so I'll take everything away from them. I won't stop until every last one of them is in the ground!"

-0-

Forest, Sterling and Ruadh looked over the kingdom of Vale from atop a building, the night sky covering everything in darkness with the shattered moon being the only source of light other than the various lit windows.

"What could Salem be planning?" Sterling wondered.

"Ozpin must know something we don't," Forest suggested. "But he won't say a thing, especially not to us. For now, we need to focus on finding Nachtfel."

"He won't be easy to find," Sterling brought up. "He's always done a good job covering his tracks."

"It may not be easy, but it is possible," the eagle swordsman pointed out. "The Iron Knights are a body and Nachtfel is the head. We take him down and they'll be left leaderless."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ruadh asked enthusiastically. Forest looked back at his teammates and smiled.

"Friends," he addressed. "Let's get to work."

 **Author's Notes: Volume 2 has drawn to a close! Volume 3 will be a separate book, but unfortunately, Doc Manager won't let me leave a link in the description. If you want to continue reading MRRN, then go to my profile page. I'll make sure to inform you all when Volume 3 has been posted. The adventures of Team MRRN aren't over yet, so keep on reading!**

 **Before I go, I want to give a shoutout to two Fanfics I've been reading:**

 **Someone Special (Yang x Male Reader) by SlinkyDog**

 **PALDN Volume 1 by PaladinOfArgyle**

 **Make sure to visit these two Fanfics when you can. Until then, take care!**


	22. Volume 3 Notice

**Author's Note:**

 **Volume 3 has been officially uploaded! The adventures of Team MRRN continues! For those of you who don't know, it will be a different book. Access my profile page to continue reading.**

 **Also, I made a poll on my profile that will allow you to vote for your favorite MRRN member should you want to.**


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